Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has insisted that he made the right decision to leave striker Wayne Rooney out of his starting lineup against Real Madrid on Tuesday.

Speculation regarding the England international's future surfaced when he was placed on the bench for United's 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid, who booted the Red Devils out of the Champions League at the round-of-16 stage.

Despite the rumours, Ferguson is adamant that the 27-year-old will remain at Old Trafford come the end of the season, and that the right tactical decision was made regarding the forward's snub.

"He understood the reasons for not playing him was completely tactical, and I think we were right," Ferguson said in a press conference.

"We don't always get it right. [Danny] Welbeck is the best player we have in terms of operating a double role ie we had to chalk out [Xabi] Alonso's ability to control the game, which he did, and also his ability to go further forward as an attacking player."

Meanwhile, Ferguson has admitted that it was 'hard to take' when winger Nani was controversially sent off for a high challenge on Alvaro Arbeloa during the clash.