Manchester United skipper Wayne Rooney enjoying new Paul Scholes' role

Manchester United skipper Wayne Rooney has revealed that he is enjoying playing Paul Scholes' role that Louis van Gaal has given him in recent games.

The Three Lions captain is enjoying his new position and showed it on Boxing Day when he scored two goals and set up one in the 3-1win over Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

With Radamel Falcao and Robin van Persie available to the manger in the strikers' role, he has chosen to play Rooney behind them a little deeper in midfield alongside Juan Mata and the Englishman has revealed that it is a role he knows he can play well.

"It's a role that I've played many times and I know I can play," United's official site quoted Rooney as saying.

The former Everton forward, who is mainly a striker, has compared himself to Red Devils legend Paul Scholes, who used to play in a similar role and like Rooney today, had the licence to go forward and make late runs into the box.

"The manager has given me even more licence to get forward and get into the box from that role. As Paul [Scholes] did many times over his career, he could see the ball when it was wide and see the space and run into it – I did that today with my two goals. It's nice to win, nice to score goals and I'm delighted with the performance," the United striker explained.

Even manager Louis van Gaal believes that with the current situation in the team, Rooney is best suited for a midfield role and has no worries regarding his captain's stamina to continue playing in that position for the foreseeable future.

"He has the lung capacity to run for 90 minutes as a midfielder so that's why I use him also as a midfielder," the Manchester Evening News quoted Van Gaal as saying.

"But I can use him also as a striker, but the team at this moment it is better that he plays in midfield."