Fergie insisted that he was pleased with Ruud’s performance in the Champions League win over Maccabi Haifa last week.
"I think he simplified his game," said Ferguson. "The problem with Ruud is that he feels if he is not scoring, then he is not contributing and we have been speaking about that.
"But the great thing for me was not his goal against Maccabi, but his assist for Ole. It was a clever pass. It was the kind of pass you expect from a midfield player but he is capable of doing that. It was a fantastic goal."
Critics have accused RVN of being selfish but that is all part of a striker's make-up, according to Ferguson.
"Yes that is what he is, he is a finisher. He wants to score every goal but he is only young and as I said last season, he will add to his game which will make him a great player. It is just getting the confidence and that assist will help him. I told him I am not worried about him not scoring. That is not the be all and end all. First, be a team player and enjoy playing the game but when he comes off and he hasn't scored he gets angry with himself and feels down. That is a great mental strength for a player who says 'I've got to score'. Because he has that great determination to score you are going to get goals and he will score over 25 goals this season."
Despite the fuss Van Nistelrooy is not too far off last season's pace; after nine starts last year he had scored six times - Saturday's penalty against Tottenham was his fifth goal of this season.