Fabio Capello Backs Wayne Rooney

Fabio Capello believes that Wayne Rooney just needs time before he is back to his best.

The Manchester United was given a frosty reception from the England fans at Wembley last night after his poor performance at the World Cup in South Africa  earlier this summer.

Rooney, who hasn't featured in all of united's pre-season matches, only played sixty five minutes in the friendly against Hungary last night and was booed as he was made h is way off the field during the second half.

Speaking to The Sun the England manager said: "Yes the fans are giving him a hard time because he's one of the most important players in the world.

"The fans want him to make a difference and play really well.

"But he can't play better than this evening. He's only had 45 minutes in one game, 45 minutes in another game. So Rooney had played only 90 minutes before this game in total.

"And I spoke with him before the game to tell him that he would only play 65 minutes. And he played 65 minutes.  So it's impossible for him right now. We have to wait. He's not in a good moment and has to play more."

But Capello knows that Rooney, despite his below par form this summer, is still a key figure in his England set up and is confident that his form will return.

"He's big, he needs to play more games. Probably he won't be good for the next game in the Premier League, either. But he's a really important England player and can make the difference in every game.

"So I'm not worried about a rift between Rooney and the fans. No, absolutely not. The supporters - I know, I'm sure - love Rooney."

England had to come from 1-0 down against Hungary last night but two goals in four minutes from skipper Steven Gerrard saw them grab a 2-1 win.

FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw