Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has paid tribute to the under-fire Wayne Rooney, insisting that his former Manchester United teammate is already a legend at Old Trafford.

The 30-year-old stemmed the tide of criticism over his performances by heading home the winner in Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League win over CSKA Moscow - his 237th United goal.

Consequently, Rooney moved level with Denis Law as the Red Devils' second most prolific marksman of all time, and Solskjaer feels that the striker's achievements are unequivocal.

"Wayne's a legend at the club, he's been fantastic since he arrived. He might thank me for getting that injury as we needed strikers back then when I got injured, so we signed him," he is quoted as saying by Sky Sports News.

"But he's been a top, top teammate of mine, he's a great lad and I wish him all the best. Wazza will go in the history books as one of the best players to have ever played for Manchester United and England.

"You know when you've got Wayne Rooney, wherever you put him, you'll get a top, top performance. You could even put him in goal."

Rooney has netted twice in 10 Premier League outings this season.