Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has said Wayne Rooney's goal drought is down to his midfield role, adding that he is open to moving his captain back into the attack.
Rooney is United's second top scorer in the Premier League this season with eight goals, one fewer than Robin van Persie, but it is eight games since he added to his tally with a brace in a 3-1 win over Newcastle on Boxing Day.
The 29-year-old has also failed to register a shot on target in the league this year, and Van Gaal said his lack of impact in front of goal was down to the fact he has played in a deeper position.
0 - Wayne Rooney has not hit a shot on target in the Premier League in 2015, despite playing 450 minutes. Withdrawn.
- OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 9, 2015
"When you play him in midfield you are not always in the situation to score," the manager said.
"So when you say he is not scoring then, of course, midfielders are not scoring too much. He is not in the front three -- he is in the back three of the midfield."
Van Gaal suggested Rooney could be restored to a more attacking role.
"It is dependable on the circumstances," he said. "How we are satisfied, or not; how he is satisfied, or not; if it is a better contribution for our team to play up front, or not. That is something that can change every week."
Van Persie and Radamel Falcao have been used in attack recently but have struggled to produce the form that had seen them established among the world's leading strikers in previous seasons.
Van Gaal said: "When I am not lining up with Falcao, you are asking: 'Where is Falcao?' and when I don't line up Van Persie you are asking: 'Where is van Persie?'
"You always put the question negative, but I am used to that -- it is not a problem, I am used to that.
"Are Falcao and Van Persie doing enough? It is always dependable on what we decided and, until this moment, we have not decided that yet.
"It is always a question to the future, so you will have to wait and see, but it is always a team result. You have had a lot of criticism about our defenders, now I don't read any more about our defenders because you cannot say as we are now one of the best.
"I have said this in advance: defence organisation starts with the strikers. Maybe you remember that? Defensive organisation starts with the attackers and attacking organisation starts with the defenders.
"We are a team and the team scores, not the strikers only."
While Van Gaal is now happier with his defence, there has been criticism that United are failing to produce the kind of attractive football that had been expected.
However, the Dutchman -- who rejected Sam Allardyce's long-ball claims by producing a dossier at his news conference -- pointed to his tenures with Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Netherland as evidence that he is a coach associated with quality football.
"You know that when you see my career. I think that it is answer enough," he said. "But in this world you have to win and play attractive. That's not so simple. We do our best.
"I think we have played attractive games and less attractive games. With every club I think it is the same, so there's no discussion."
He said that, during the 3-0 FA Cup win over Cambridge United -- United's last home game -- he had seen no evidence of dissatisfaction among supporters.
"When you see the fans against Cambridge United, there were a lot of them, so they are obviously enjoying the games," he said.
"When I am on the streets, they show that to me also, so I don't think that we are not playing attractive enough for the fans.
"To the contrary, I get always applause, so I think that everyone is still happy."