The Magpies enjoyed a stellar November, which saw them record four wins out of four - including victories over Chelsea and Tottenham - but they were brought crashing down to earth by a 3-0 defeat at Swansea on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old thinks that the absence of Rooney could be a god send for Alan Pardew's men and suggested that avoiding relegation remains their main concern, rather than finishing above the Red Devils.
"The one thing we have to do is we have to try to get 40 points as soon as possible as we have to make sure we are safe," he told to the reporters.
"I think we are in good shape at the moment, we have 23 points, but we have to keep going. Even if against Manchester United we get a bad result then we don't have to put ourselves down.
"Man Utd are still a big, big team. At the moment we're on top of them but just by one point - it will be a massive game because if we win the game we go four points above them.
"Fortunately [Wayne] Rooney's suspended, so that's good for us. [Robin] Van Persie at the moment is not having the greatest season like last season, but I think that he's always a dangerous striker - when he has the chance he will score."
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