Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has been praised by manager Sir Alex Ferguson after an excellent start to the season, with a newfound maturity identified as a key reason for his good form.

The England international became only the fourth player in Premier League history to score back-to-back hat-tricks, with Arsenal and Bolton at the receiving end, and has tallied eight goals in his first four league games.

With United firing on all cylinders, their Scottish boss has praised his main man and admitted he has seen a change in the 25-year-old.

"When players get to their mid-20s, there is more thought in their game. Their timing is better. Wayne's presence is good and he is looking fantastic," Ferguson stated in The Telegraph.

Team-mate Patrice Evra was also quick to compliment the goalscorer, and believes that the poor form that plagued the forward last term has been forgotten.

“Last season he had some problems, but now he is back. He is in a different way. He wants to show what a top player he is. Of course he wants to put last year behind him. Everyone thinks if they have a problem, the first thing they want to do is play football and enjoy themselves. That is what he has done.

“He wants to be the best player in the world, and he just has to keep doing what he is doing. After training, he does some finishing. This is something he did not do a long time ago.

"He is joking in the dressing room, saying that if he scores another three goals he will have the same number as last year. It is only four games in. You can see his hunger," the France international stated.

Rooney will be a key figure as United travel to take on Benfica at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday in the first of their Champions League group games.

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