Graphic: left of centre: how United have deployed their prize asset

Wayne Rooney believes that he can fill the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United provided that Sir Alex Ferguson plays him in his “right position” as a centre forward rather than on the wing.

In an interview in The Times today, Rooney acknowledges that United need to sign reinforcements after the losses of Ronaldo, who is joining Real Madrid for a world-record fee of £80 million, and Carlos Tévez, who is expected to join Manchester City once his contract at Old Trafford expires tomorrow.

Luis Antonio Valencia, the Wigan Athletic right winger, and Karim Benzema, the highly rated Lyons forward, head Ferguson’s list of targets, but, irrespective of who joins, Rooney firmly believes that he can “fill the gap” in goalscoring terms if given an extended run at the point of the attack.

“We’ve lost two key players and obviously I hope we can get a few players in,” Rooney said. “Between them Cristiano and Carlos scored a lot of goals for us last season and the season before, but I would like to think I’m capable of filling that gap. I’ve said before that, if I can play in my right position, I’m capable of doing that.”

Ferguson frequently played Rooney in wide positions in the closing weeks of last season, including the Champions League final defeat by Barcelona, and even suggested that the forward, like Thierry Henry, may be more potent operating in a wide role and drifting inside from the left wing.

But Rooney, who has scored ten goals from a central role in his past seven appearances for England, hopes that Ferguson will restore him to his natural position on a permanent basis.

“I want to play in the position where I feel I’m best,” he said. “A lot of people think I’m best as a centre forward. To play in a Champions League final and to play week in, week out for Manchester United is a privilege and it’s something I’m very lucky to be doing, but I don’t think playing on the wing I can express myself as much as I like to.”

In one sense, Rooney could be liberated by Ronaldo’s departure, given that United frequently seemed to be built around the Portugal forward, particularly in big matches in the Champions League. Rooney’s diligence and work ethic often seemed to work against him, while Ronaldo was indulged in a role that effectively absolved him of defensive duties.

Asked whether he had resented having to do Ronaldo’s “dirty work”, Rooney replied: “I wouldn’t say dirty work because Cristiano is such a talent, he can score from anywhere, so you try to accommodate him. As a team, we accommodated him because we knew he could win matches for us.

“Now that he has gone, we will have to score more goals between us, but I feel like I’m capable of scoring a lot of goals.”

Despite interest from Real, Ferguson expects to complete the signing of Valencia within days for something in the region of £15.25 million and is also trying to prise Benzema from France for a fee that may eclipse last summer’s club-record outlay of £30.75 million for Dimitar Berbatov.

Lyons expect Arsenal to emerge as rival bidders for Benzema as Arsène Wenger, the manager, looks to replace the unsettled Emmanuel Adebayor, who is wanted by AC Milan, but Ferguson is confident of getting his man. Sergio Agüero, of Atlético Madrid, is regarded as a secondary target if the Benzema deal does not materialise.

Ferguson is also reported to have an interest in Alexis Sánchez, the Udinese and Chile winger, who operates on the left-hand side.