The Manchester United striker has been getting a lot of stick from the fans and media for his loss of form in front of goal but former England manager, Terry Venables is adamant that Rooney does not need to score goals to be useful for the Red Devils.

In his column for The Sun, Venables said:"I've mentioned Gazza and there are indeed many similarities with Rooney. Just like Wayne, he wanted to win games single-handedly, score breathtaking goals and walk off with man-of-the-match awards.

"But, like Wayne, he also had periods when he didn't score and critics would start whispering about a crisis.

"But every time that happened, I said to Paul: 'Just go out there and do everything else you bring to our team. Go out and beat players, go out and split open the opposition with breathtaking passes - go out there, and enjoy yourself.'

"Rooney's exactly the same and if that's a crisis, then I suspect there's 19 other Premier League managers who'd like to have it as well!"

Venables was also quick to add that the rest of the United players have what it takes to carry the team forward while Rooney continues to find his form and hopefully break his goalscoring duck.

John Arne Riise put the visitors in front in the 21st minute, but Goran Pandev levelled four minutes before the break at the San Siro.

Samuel Eto'o scored in the 70th and 80th minutes to give Rafa Benitez a winning start on the Inter bench and earn the Nerazzurri their first success of the 2010/11 season.

Inter can go on to clinch six trophies in 2010 by winning the European Super Cup against Atletico Madrid next weekend and the FIFA Club World Cup in December, to add to the Serie A title, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League they won last season under Jose Mourinho.

Benitez relied upon the players he inherited from Mourinho in his starting XI, while Roma coach Claudio Ranieri also fielded the same team which pushed the Nerazzurri close for the Scudetto last season.

Francesco Totti and Mirko Vucinic led the Giallorossi attack with former Inter forward Adriano starting on the bench.

Wesley Sneijder had two decent efforts within the first 10 minutes with his second attempt going just a few feet over the crossbar from 20 yards.

Ozil is Madrid's latest capture, having signed for los Blancos from Werder Bremen this week and has been on a public relations spree ever since he arrived in Madrid.

In latest comments quoted by the club's official website, he said: "I always watch the derbies, the Clasicos and games between Real Madrid and great teams like Valencia, though I wasn't able to watch many weekend games because I was playing at the same time. La Liga is one of the strongest football competitions in the world, so I'm delighted to be here.

"The game is stronger here because the championship has many of the best players in the world, like Ronaldo and Kaka."
The World Cup semi-finalist with Germany once again explained just how his move to Europe's most successful club came to fruition, reiterating his respect for Mourinho.

"I think Real Madrid are the best team in the world and they have some of the world's best players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and many more. I am delighted to be here with them.

"I am also proud to have a coach like Jose Mourinho want me on this team. That's the real reason I'm here. He is one of the best coaches in the world. It is a privilege to be able to work with him. I am anxious to start.

Barca have held the edge over their fierce rivals over the past two years - winning the La Liga on both occasions. However, with a new coach in charge and a slew of promising players in the squad, Real are ready to challenge the Catalan supremacy this season.

And Pique, for one, is looking forward to the challenge.

In comments reported by the club's officialw website, he said: "It will be fun. We are two very different teams with different styles although [Jose] Mourinho claims they will be attacking, with very different coaches and two great squads. Maybe other teams will be involved too, but both ourselves and Madrid will be up there."

Commenting on the fitness levels of the Barca players, he said: "We all came back with a good level of fitness and are in great condition.

"To play an international and then play so soon after would mean recharging very quickly. On a personal note though I felt better than I thought I would.

Barcelona face their first real battle of the season on Saturday when they seek to overcome a first-leg 3-1 deficit against Sevilla in the Spanish Supercopa.

"I think that they are different competitions [on Sevilla playing in the Champions League qualifier in midweek]. They will come here to win the Super Cup. They, like us, will only be thinking about the game on Saturday.

Last time the pair met was last September, when Ferguson came out on top in an epic Manchester derby at Old Trafford when Michael Owen scored the winner six minutes into stoppage time.

By the end of the year, Hughes had been dumped as Blues chief, owner Sheikh Mansour not convinced the Welshman was capable of delivering a 70-point target set in pre-season.

But Ferguson does not believe that decision is any reflection on his former player.

"Mark does not need to justify his performance at Manchester City," said Ferguson.

"He did a good job there.

"The employer who hired him had left. It is a fact of life that new employers want their own man."

Ferguson will offer his best wishes but after that, the focus will be entirely concentrated on collecting three more points for Manchester United at Craven Cottage.

United have been beaten on their last two league outings by the River Thames, last term with a team ravaged by defensive injuries.

There are no such fears this time around though as Patrice Evra has recovered from a minor injury sustained in the victory over Newcastle on Monday.