Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney was under huge pressure to deliver this season, admits teammate Ryan Giggs.

United entertain Liverpool today with Rooney boasting 32 goals this season.

Giggs, who hopes to make his return from a broken arm today, told the Mail on Sunday: "A lot of people asked where we were going to get our goals from when Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez left last summer. But Wayne has gone up to the next level.

"He was under a lot of pressure with the summer departures and that makes his achievement even more special. But I always felt he had it in him to score that number of goals and improve his game.

"Wayne wasn't an out-and-out forward and when Cristiano was here, he had to sometimes play on the wing. He didn't get the same scoring opportunities. We all know what Wayne is capable of as a footballer but what everyone has been impressed by this year is how he moved to the next level as a goalscorer.

"The positions he is getting into, the headers and the number have been great. They are goalscorers' goals. People questioned whether he was an out-and-out goalscorer, but he has proved himself this year."