The United forward is tied with Francis Lee and Joe Hayes on 10 goals. And after scoring twice against Bayer Leverkusen in midweek to break the 200-goal barrier for United, manager David Moyes claims he is playing with a "cause".
"He's got a bit of toughness back," Moyes said. "I wouldn't say he lost that, but I think folk might say 'I don't see it quite as much about him'. But physically he is able to do it and I think mentally he has probably got a bit of a cause in his head – that he's going to show everybody – and he can do that.
"I think mentally we needed to see a Wayne Rooney who was aggressive and all-action, which he was capable of being. He was different: he could score, he could fight, he could work for the team. He had all those attributes in his game and I think recently everyone's begin to see all those attributes come back.
"You want special players and if Wayne keeps up the levels he has shown in the last couple of games, then he is certainly going the right direction to show he is one of these top players."
Comments by Sir Alex Ferguson this week, praising Rooney's recent form, have been regarded as an olive branch from the former manager following the breakdown of the pair's relationship last season.
"When you get a compliment from Sir Alex you take it for what it is," Moyes said. "I don't say he doesn't give them out freely, but I'm sure Wayne will have heard that.
"But we've got to remember it is Wayne who has done the hard work. It's nothing to do with David Moyes or Sir Alex Ferguson.
"It's Wayne Rooney who's got himself in a real good physical condition. I think he would say that last year, by his standards, wasn't his best season. You want to improve on that and he's set out his own stall to show he's going to improve on that."
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