Wayne Rooney hailed the performance of Manchester United fullback Rafael da Silva in last night's 5-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic.

Both Rooney and Rafael were on the scoresheet in the comfortable win.

Rooney reserved special praise for United's youngest goalscorer on the night, who also set him up for the opener: "It was a great ball from Rafael and I thought he was brilliant throughout. He's so sharp against opposition wingers and going forward he's always a threat. He's a big plus when he's fit."