Former Manchester United defender Dion Dublin believes that Sir Alex Ferguson was wrong to drop Wayne Rooney to the bench for last night's Champions League defeat to Real Madrid.

The England international was a shock omission from the 2-1 loss, which was marred by a debatable red card issued to Nani for a high challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa.

"Yes, Rooney should have started," Dublin told Goal.com. "I do not know why he was omitted. Sir Alex picked his team to win the game and if they had then [Rooney's omission] would not have got mentioned.

"It was a massive deal that he wasn't picked to start. Rooney is a world-class footballer, give him the opportunity to play on the world-class stage."

Luka Modric and Cristiano Ronaldo found the back of the net to ensure a 3-2 aggregate victory and a place in the quarter-finals for Madrid.