Wayne Rooney says he played with a striker at Man Utd who was almost as good as him

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Wayne Rooney is undoubtedly one of the best footballers that England has ever seen, but he thinks one former Manchester United teammate is almost as good as he was.

There are few Manchester United players considered bigger legends than Wayne Rooney, with the Liverpudlian forward making 559 appearances for the club, while scoring 253 goals and 142 assists.

This sees Rooney as United’s record goalscorer, quite incredibly, overtaking the great Sir Bobby Charlton’s record in his final season at the club.

Charlton was proud that Rooney broke his record, which shows the calibre of player the famous No.10 was.

So it takes a big talent to come close to matching Rooney.

• READ MORE: Who is Wayne Rooney? Wife, children, net worth, stats and more

Wayne Rooney says Robin van Persie rivals him for quality

Rooney is so good that even Steven Gerrard has to laud him, as the Liverpool hero told Rio Ferdinand that the United record scorer was his most talented England teammate.

For his ability, Rooney is often humble, but when Sport Bible asked him to rate himself against other strikers, he had to be honest.

Robin van Persie was one name asked, and Rooney surprisingly suggested the pair were evenly matched, but he just edged it.

“It’s close… Wayne Rooney.”

While Van Persie ranks as one of United’s best-ever strikers, there is simply no competition when Rooney is on the other side.

Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie record together

Rooney has consistently ranked himself above Van Persie, clearly aware of how good he was at United, while the Dutchman would be unlikely to argue this fact.

However, the two were absolutely lethal together, combining for 14 goals in 73 games together for United.

• Van Persie: 107 games, 60 goals, 16 assists
• Rooney: 114 games, 49 goals, 40 assists

In total, during the three years the duo spent together, there were a combined 109 goals and 56 assists, carrying the club over this three-year spell.

These are the kind of levels United need to see from attackers currently at the club in order to get Ruben Amorim’s side where it belongs.