Rooney form impresses Rio

Rio Ferdinand believes Wayne Rooney's current form is ominous for United's European and domestic rivals.

Rooney, who turns 22 on Wednesday, was in irresistible form against Aston Villa, scoring twice as the Reds warmed up in style for their Champions League clash in Kyiv.

Ferdinand said: "To me he's a fantastic footballer and it's great to have him in our team. When he's in form like that, he's almost unstoppable.

"I think he and Carlos (Tevez) put to bed all the question marks as to whether they can play together. Their movement was fantastic and I don’t think Villa could live with them."

Rooney's brace at Villa Park demonstrated his ability to bounce back from England's damaging defeat in Russia, in which he had also scored.

"The disappointment with England wasn’t going to affect his performance,” Rio said.

“Top players do that - you have disappointments throughout your career but it’s how you respond to those setbacks. He’s showed that he’s in good spirits.”

Rooney's partnership with Carlos Tevez is beginning to earn rave reviews, now the latter has settled into life at Old Trafford.

"Carlos has been in England for a while but you’ve got to give these guys time," said Rio, also referring to Nani and Anderson.

“People forget they’re only young. Anderson’s only 19 but he's a fantastic footballer. He's working hard with the fitness coach and you’re seeing the fruits of that now.”