Wayne Rooney feels that former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was not dissimilar to Sir Alex Ferguson when it came to making one all-important call.
Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer spent the tail end of his Old Trafford playing spell under Jose Mourinho after Louis van Gaal was sacked in 2016.
Sir Alex Ferguson once said the intensity of Man Utd vs Leeds makes Liverpool games look calm. Is he right?
Wayne Rooney had been promoted to the Man Utd captaincy under Louis van Gaal and had lifted the FA Cup trophy under 74-year-old former Red Devils boss.
Van Gaal’s exit from Old Trafford paved the way for Mourinho’s arrival and Rooney captured both a League Cup and a Europa League trophy under the ‘Special One.’
However, Rooney’s influence at Man Utd began to wane and the 40-year-old legendary former England striker was left fighting for his place under Mourinho.
What Sir Alex Ferguson wanted Man Utd players to do is something Wayne Rooney hasn’t forgotten about
Before Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and David Moyes, Wayne Rooney enjoyed incredible success during his Red Devils spell under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.
Rooney lifted five Premier League titles, a Champions League trophy and two League Cups before iconic former United manager Ferguson retired in 2013.
The United legend was asked about players being pressured into ‘getting on top’ of the referees in matches and Rooney admitted that Ferguson was known for doing it.
Sir Alex Ferguson shared his tip ahead of World Cup 2026!
Who do YOU think is the favourite to win the World Cup? What do you think of Fergie's assessment?
“Well, from the players’ point of view, we did, yes,” he said on BBC Sport’s The Wayne Rooney Show.
“I think it was well known at Manchester United that we used to… Not so much.
“It was more the generation before our team, but we still, like the manager would say to us, ‘Get around the referee and make a decision.’
“And the problem we had was every time you [did] it, if you [got] booked for the dissent, the manager would fine you.
“So, it was like, ‘Well, you’re going to fine us anyway, if you do that.’”
Wayne Rooney points out the similarity between former Man Utd managers Jose Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson
Rooney admitted that Mourinho would follow a similar approach to Ferguson in how players would put pressure on the referees to make decisions in their favour.
“So, but no, there [were] times, yeah, I think, I think Mourinho as well as teams were quite clever with it,” he continued.
“Well, not clever, but trying to put pressure on the referees where I think naturally it would, if you could put that many players come up to you.
“And obviously making it, was it three or four players around you that you got booked?”
Rooney’s magnificent spell at Old Trafford would come to an end under Mourinho’s reign and the United icon left the Red Devils and returned to Everton in 2017.
Receive a digest of our best United content each week direct to your mailbox
