Pranav Nair
Wayne Rooney picks Paul Scholes as the best player he played with at Manchester United
Speaking on the official Manchester United podcast (h/t The Metro), club legend, Wayne Rooney has revealed the best player he played with at United.
The 35-year-old spent 13 years at United and is the club’s all-time top scorer. Having been part of a number of dominant sides under Sir Alex Ferguson, Rooney has rubbed shoulders with some of the best players in world football.
Having played alongside Rio Ferdinand, Edwin van der Sar, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ryan Giggs, the question of who his best teammate was would have divided opinion among fans.
Not so for the player, who has given Paul Scholes the honour of being the best player he has played with.
“Scholesy, I think.”
The Ginger Prince made 709 appearances for the club and was a part of United’s class of 92′ that went down in English football history.
“The things he could do with the ball, he obviously weren’t the quickest but he was so sharp you couldn’t get near him.”
Initially thriving in an attacking capacity, Scholes gradually moved into central midfield, where he found himself at home. This ability to reinvent himself is something Rooney has learned from.
Currently the player/manager at Derby County, Rooney has followed in Scholes’ footsteps and transformed himself into a midfielder.
The finer details!
This has given him a clearer appreciation of Scholes’ role and talents. It is clear to see that Rooney watched Scholes to understand how to adapt himself as he grew older.
“I remember knowing that at the backend of my career I’d be going back into midfield so I was almost studying him and watching him in training and games.”
Rooney did not share a telepathic understanding or a prolific partnership with Scholes. However, the latter appears to have served as an unofficial teacher of the finer details to the former.
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As someone who has played with Scholes, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, Rooney is in a position to once and for all settle the debate between the three.
Since he chose Scholes, we are going to go ahead and give the former No.18 the crown. After all, the current king of Old Trafford, Bruno Fernandes has also given his seal of approval.
