Wayne Rooney hat-trick: Manchester United captain ends 10 game goal drought in style, first goal since April

United skipper ensures United beat Club Brugge in Champions League play-off

Wayne Rooney celebrates his goal against Club Brugge (GETTY IMAGES)

Wayne Rooney's long wait for a goal is finally over - and over in style.

The Manchester United captain had gone an incredible 10 games without finding the back of the net, a stat that worsened game-by-game and was made more poignant by Louis van Gaal's decision to deploy him as a centre-forward this season.

LIVE: Club Brugge vs Manchester United

But he ended the drought in style with a hat-trick in the Champions League play-off tie against Club Brugge.

The first owed much to team-mate Memphis Depay. Cutting in from the left wing, the young Dutchman played a fine disguised through-ball to Rooney who let the ball run forward before clipping it past the on-rushing Club Brugge goalkeeper.

Within 13 minutes of the start of the second half, he had two more.

His first goal of the night was his first in 11 games and first goal in five games of this campaign. His last for Manchester United came in the 3-1 win over Aston Villa in April.

It was his first away goal for his club for six months, with his last away from Old Trafford coming in the FA Cup against Preston in February.

The goal was also his first in the Champions League for 23 months. The last time he netted in Europe's elite competition was when he scored a double against Bayer Leverkusen in September 2013.

The hat-trick was the eighth of his career and first for four years - the last coming against Bolton back in September 2011.