Wayne Rooney said that he had the strength of character to ensure his 10-game Manchester United goal drought did not dent his confidence after he ended it in style with a hat trick against Club Brugge on Wednesday.
Roney, 29, ended an 878-minute wait for a United goal before scoring three times in a 4-0 win against the Belgian side, securing a 7-1 aggregate triumph and a place in the Champions League group stages.
The forward had failed to find the net in his previous 10 United appearances, but was adamant he was contributing to the team during his barren spell.
"If I didn't have a strong character, maybe that would have affected me but I know my quality, I know what I give to the team," he told BT Sport. "If the goals don't go in, I still bring a lot to my teammates. Thankfully I have got chances tonight and took them. I wasn't worried."
Rooney admitted he may have been concerned if he had gone a few games more without a goal, saying: "If it had gone on for three, four, five games more then maybe so."
Wayne Rooney, hat-trick hero. #mufc pic.twitter.com/ujuymXRdh8
- Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 26, 2015
The Old Trafford captain felt the statistics were slightly deceptive because they included a six-game run at the end of last season, and argued that he was not the only striker who endured a wait for his first goal of the new campaign.
"As a striker, obviously you want to score," he said. "Everyone goes back to last season and so many games before the end of the last season when I didn't score.
"So many top-level strikers are yet to get off the mark but I understand that because of my name and who I am, it gets publicised a lot more. That is part of my job and I have to accept that."
United, who were not in Europe last season, will now take part in the Champions League group stages and Rooney added: "It was a big disappointment last year and it was vital we went through. It was a massive game for the club and a great result."