Viv Anderson gives backing to Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney

Former Manchester United defender Viv Anderson has insisted that Wayne Rooney will "come out the other side" of his slump in form.

The current United captain's performances have come under intense scrutiny this season, with just two goals to show from his nine Premier League outings.

During Sunday's Manchester derby, social media was awash with United fans that called for the 30-year-old to be dropped by manager Louis van Gaal, but Anderson has stressed that he "would pick Wayne Rooney every time".

"His record speaks for itself and he doesn't have to prove anything to anybody. I would pick Wayne Rooney every time because on any given day he could score a hat-trick. He'll only get through this spell by playing," Anderson told reporters at a GameChangers Football event.

"If you're going through a bad time at a big club, whether it is Wayne Rooney or Diego Costa, you are always going to get stick. That's part and parcel of being captain of Manchester United and England.

"When you don't score 20 goals on a regular basis some people are going to ask questions. He has been through this many, many times and he'll come out the other side."

It was confirmed yesterday that Rooney, who joined the Red Devils from Everton in 2004, had been granted a testimonial for next August.