Arsenal legend Wright: Fergie actions will only fire up Man Utd ace Rooney

Arsenal legend Ian Wright can understand Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson dropping and fining star striker Wayne Rooney on the weekend.

Wright explained in his column for The Sun: "Not for the first time, at a crucial part of the season, the Manchester United manager has given a key player an almighty boot up the a**e.

"I reckon Wayne Rooney will now bounce back with at least a goal against Newcastle in the Premier League tomorrow night before scoring again to help knock Manchester City out of the FA Cup on Sunday.

"Despite not actually breaking a curfew, Fergie is clearly unhappy Rooney went out at night and then trained badly the next day.

"This episode involving three United players — Jonny Evans and Darron Gibson were also there — was clearly unacceptable for Fergie and true to form, he has acted swiftly.

"What the Old Trafford manager has done is send a clear message out to the team, particularly the younger lads, in terms of the standards that have to be met.

"We have seen many times before, most notably with Roy Keane and David Beckham, that Ferguson is afraid of absolutely no one.

"You could argue that in terms of the team, the decision to drop Rooney did not work as a depleted United still lost 3-2 at home to Blackburn.

"But I think for Rooney, it will make a difference and he will return more focused."