Wayne Rooney was tasked with building the “perfect” player out of his best opponents and he couldn’t resist naming a legendary Manchester United trio.
The 38-year-old has added his own name to the list of Manchester United legends after a glittering 13-year career at Old Trafford.
Wayne Rooney remains Manchester United’s top goalscorer of all time after netting a mind-boggling 253 goals for the Red Devils.
He also claims top spot in the list of Manchester United’s best ever strikers after joining United as a teenager and leaving as a worldwide superstar.
After bursting onto the scene at Everton, he made a club-record move to United in 2004 and the rest was history.
He has played in some of United’s best-ever teams under Sir Alex Ferguson and also faced some of the world’s best players.
Wayne Rooney builds ‘perfect’ player from opponents
Rooney has since gone on to become a manager, with stints at Derby County, DC United, Birmingham City and now Plymouth Argyle.
But he still has plenty of time to reminisce about the good old days, and he was tasked with building a “perfect” player only using opponents he faced throughout his career.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Rooney said: “Best finisher I’ve played against is probably Cristiano Ronaldo, he scores a lot of goals.
“Best dribbler I’ve played against is Lionel Messi, he is so hard to play against. He’s small, quick, keeps the ball very close to his feet and can make you look silly if you get to close.
“The best mentality I’ve played against – I have to say Gary Neville. Before he went to Manchester United first team he wasn’t as talented as quite a few players and that continued throughout his career, but he was a fantastic footballer and was very driven. His mentality was top class.
“Best defender I’ve played… John Terry. He wasn’t the quickest but he read the game really well. Strong, good in the air, could score goals and liked a tackle.
“Best footballing IQ? I’d have to say Paul Scholes. He just knew the game and read the game well. Dictated games, could pass short, could pass long and score goals. So everything about him really, his IQ is very high level.”
Rooney spent far more time playing alongside Ronaldo, Neville Paul Scholes than he did facing them, but he simply couldn’t resist including the United trio.
Will Wayne Rooney ever manage Manchester United?
Rooney has been on a bumpy ride in his managerial career so far after dealing with huge financial problems at Derby, a takeover saga at Birmingham and now a survival fight at Plymouth.
But there have been signs of promise that he could continue to develop as a coach, and he still shares close connections to United and still regularly visits Carrington.
Rooney has been critical of Ten Hag‘s tenure as manager and suggested that United have lost the core of British players that Sir Alex Ferguson used to rely on.
But if Rooney ever is to manage United in the future, he still has a lot of learning to do before being given a shot at Old Trafford.
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