Wayne Rooney has backed David Moyes in public for the first time and blamed the players for letting the new Manchester United manager down.

"Obviously the manager is under a bit of pressure but we know as a team it's us who have let him down. We have to pull together for the manager and show the sort of fight we have done here and we'll be fine," said Rooney.

"This will be a transition season, because it's a new manager with different styles and we have to adapt to them. More importantly we need to do better for him than we have been."

Speaking after Manchester United's 2-1 victory over Sunderland, Rooney said: "I think that's what we needed, to get the three points and to show a bit of character as a team.

"A win like this can turn things around. I think us as players know we haven't been good enough. A new manager has come in and we haven't been good enough for him."

Rooney insisted he would be fit for England in the World Cup qualifiers against Montenegro and Poland, after taking a blow to the shin that left him limping late in the game at the Stadium of Light.

"I've got a little knock but I'll be fine for England," he added. "As soon as the game had finished I started to think about England.

"We're going to do it. We're going to get to the World Cup," said Rooney. "I'm confident, we're confident, but you always have to be sure you're not over-confident. These are going to be two tough games for us but we're good enough to do it."

Rooney missed the last two qualifiers, against Ukraine and Moldova, after gashing his head in training.