Five out of United's last seven matches have ended in 1-0 wins but Ferguson believes his new Wayne Rooney-Carlos Tevez strike partnership is starting to click.

The club have scored 11 fewer goals than at the same stage last season but Ferguson is not worried by his strikers' form.

He said: "All the front players have been slow to get on to their game - that's understandable with Wayne with his injury and Tevez missing pre-season.

"They are getting better and will continue to do that. I think the partnership is good, using Wayne as a more advanced player and Carlos dropping in. They have that understanding, there are moments when Wayne drops in or drifts to the side but that's not a problem for us, it keeps our flow going.

"We know that Wayne can penetrate, that Cristiano Ronaldo can penetrate, and Carlos can in a different way, so I'm happy with that and I don't think there's a problem at all. Good players with the ability they have got will soon gel."

most forward

Rooney himself expressed his happiness at playing alongside Tevez even if his role as United's most forward striker is a new one.

The England striker said: "I've enjoyed playing with Carlos for the last two games - obviously when I play with him it's a different role for me. I have to let him be the link between the midfield and the forwards, which of course I'm happy to do. He's played well and I think he's getting better each game.

"Towards the end of the last season I played in that same role and got a few goals and I'm happy to keep doing that."