The Reds skipper had not scored this season prior to Wednesday's kick-off but returned to form during the all-important play-off second leg at the Jan Breydel Stadium, where he converted after just 20 minutes before hitting two more second-half strikes during a comfortable 4-0 win on the night.
Speaking after the game in Belgium, Rooney expressed his delight at scoring his first goals of the 2015/16 campaign and stressed that the result was always his primary focus.
“I’ve got the goals, but more importantly it was a massive game for the club tonight," Wayne told BT Sport. "To go through to the group stage after being out of it last year, it’s a great result over the two games and we’re delighted that we’re through to the draw.
“If I didn’t have a strong character then maybe it [the lack of goals] might have affected me. I know my qualities and what I bring to the team; even if the goals don’t go in, I still bring a lot for my team-mates. Thankfully, I’ve got chances tonight and taken them, but I wasn’t worried. If it was going on for four or five games more then maybe so, but it’s early days and I knew that when the chances came I’d take them.
“Obviously, as a striker, you want to score. Everyone goes back to the end of last season and makes a big thing of it. You have to get off the mark, I’ve understood that from a young age because of my name and who I am, it gets publicised a lot more, but that’s part of my job. I have to accept that."
United are now in the Champions League group stage Rooney can't wait for the matches to come around, having not qualified for last season's competition.
“It was a big disappointment last year, not to challenge in the Champions League," the captain explained. "We didn’t think tonight would be as comfortable as it was, but it was vital that we went through any way we could and we fully deserved it over the two legs. We’ll go back, do our recovery, get ready to Sunday and enjoy the draw. It’s nice to be back in it.”
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