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By Pete Oliver
MANCHESTER, England, Oct 17 (Reuters) - England striker Wayne Rooney will mature into an even more prolific goalscorer, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday.
Rooney, 23 next week, has hit form with seven goals in five games for club and country with five goals in his last three international appearances doing much to help England enjoy their most successful start to a World Cup qualifying campaign.
"When players get into their mid-20s, their consistency improves. His consistency of scoring will improve," Ferguson told reporters.
"What we have noticed about Wayne is when he goes on one of his bursts, his performances improve with it. That is how it has been since he has been with us.
"You hope by the time he gets to his mid-20s, his experience will bring more consistency to his scoring and they will spread out better. We know he can score. It is a matter of getting that consistency.
Rooney has scored in United's last three games as the Premier League champions have recovered from a slow start.
Ferguson regards Rooney's all-round contribution as immense but can see a time when goals may occasionally outweigh the quality of his performances.
"Some goalscorers I have seen, like Gary Lineker, hardly kicked a ball in the game and scored two goals," the United manager said.
"Some players would not accept that. They feel they have to play well. Wayne is one of them. (But) he will get to a period when he scores goals when he is not particularly playing well."
Rooney, whose scoring run started when he came off the bench against Bolton on Sept 27, is likely to partner Dimitar Berbatov in attack against West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Argentina's Carlos Tevez and Brazilian Anderson will be unavailable following South American World Cup qualifying while United's midfield is already without the injured trio of Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves.
(Editing by Miles Evans)
