Rooney: Ferguson Not Pleased with Midfielder's First Half

England midfielder Tom Cleverly may have netted the winning goal for Manchester United against Newcastle but Wayne Rooney has revealed the 23 year old was criticised by Sir Alex Ferguson at half time, after missing an easy chance to score.

The Red Devils hosted Alan Pardew's Magpies for a third round encounter in the Capital One Cup, which the hosts won 2-1, after goals from Brazilian midfielder Anderson and Cleverly saw off Senegalese striker Papiss Cisse's late strike. United have now been handed a blue-chip tie... they will play Chelsea in the pick of the fourth round ties; read IBTimes UK's report on the fourth round ties.

"The manager wasn't too pleased with Tom because of that miss in the first half,'' the England striker explained, adding "But it was a nice goal by him and a great strike by Anderson. I am delighted for the two of them, especially Tom because it was his first one.''

Rooney, incidentally, was making a return from a thigh injury suffered against Fulham in August, and admitted it felt good to be back on the pitch.

"It's just over four weeks now since I last played and I'm delighted to have the time on the pitch. It's always difficult, your first game back after a few weeks out, but it's great for me to get the minutes under my belt and hopefully that will benefit me," the former Everton star told Sky Sports after the game.

Also making a return was Darren Fletcher, who has missed nearly a year of competitive football as he recovers from a chronic bowel problem. The Scotland international was named captain for the evening, an honour he was delighted with.

"It's my first time as captain of Manchester United," Fletcher told the club's Web site, adding, "It's a fantastic moment, something you dream about. Obviously, having done it for my country means a lot but to do it for United as well [is incredible]. However, the most important thing, despite all these things like me coming back and being captain, was for us to win the game."

Fletcher was also full of praise for Rooney's performance.

"Wayne was slotting in behind the strikers and enjoying it," he explained, adding, "He was getting on the ball, pinging it wide left and right and using his experience. He's a fantastic player with great imagination and enthusiasm and it's great for United to have a lot of players competing for places."

United will now play Tottenham (who beat Carlisle United 3-0 in their cup tie) in a league game on 29 September, before traveling to Romania to play CFR Cluj in the Champions League.