Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has defended the current form of his former teammate Wayne Rooney.

Rooney has come under a lot of criticism for his form this season, but Scholes believes that even the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy would have struggled to score in the current United set-up.

"I was at the Manchester derby and I watched him [Rooney] for the first 20 minutes," Scholes said to BBC Radio Manchester.

"His movement was brilliant but when he's playing in that team there's nobody prepared to pass to him. You'd be tearing your hair out.

"Ruud van Nistelrooy, Teddy Sheringham, Andy Cole couldn't play in this team.

"You don't get crosses in the box, [no] midfielders looking for runs. I think it's a very difficult team to be a centre forward in."