David Moyes Asks Wayne Rooney to Walk Dangerous Line for Manchester United

David Moyes has lavished praise on Wayne Rooney and says he wants the forward to continue playing with "fire in his belly" after narrowly escaping a sending off for kicking Jordon Mutch during Manchester United's recent draw with Cardiff.

As reported by Ian Ladyman of the Daily Mail, the Red Devils boss confirmed he isn't looking to change the Englishman's style after his decision to lash out against his 21-year-old opponent:

"

There will always be times when players have little bits that don’t always quite go for them and on that occasion (against Cardiff) Wayne was probably a little bit fortunate.

But I don’t want him to change. I still think the referee made the right decision. I want Wayne to have fire in his belly. He plays better when he’s tough and aggressive.

"

Rooney was extremely fortunate to receive a caution for the incident and could have had no complaints if referee Neil Swarbrick had shown a red card within just eight minutes of play.

United's in-form attacker went on to significantly influence the game. His deflected shot beat David Marshall with quarter of an hour on the clock, while he also provided the corner which was headed in by Patrice Evra to put United 2-1 up just before half-time.     

Cardiff fought resiliently and grabbed a deserved point with a goal late in second-half stoppage time.

Rooney's natural aggression has always been a definitive part of his game. United's influential player—who was sent off during England's vital draw with Montenegro for kicking opponent Miodrag Dzudovoic in 2012—often treads close to the line during heated matches.

United simply cannot afford to lose the man who has scored eight goals and provided six assists in 14 appearances across all competitions this campaign, per WhoScored.com.

Robin van Persie continues to struggle with a groin injury, reported by the club's official website, suggesting a red card for Rooney would leave United with strained resources as they try to recover from a disappointing start to the season under their new boss.   

Rooney will once again take centre stage when United face Bayer Leverkusen in an important Champions League fixture on Nov. 27.

With the schedule beginning to pile up, it is vital the fire in Rooney's gut doesn't burn so intensely that it eventually explodes toward a stint in the stands.

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