Rooney remembers the last game of last season when United beat Sunderland on their own patch, only to see the title snatched away from them back in Manchester when City scored a late winner against Queens Park Rangers.
And foremost in his mind was the way that Sunderland fans taunted the United players with cheers and chants for City after the game.
Rooney told The Sun: "If there is one team I want to beat this season it will be Sunderland.
"For them to be cheering like that was sad. It was something I and a lot of the players won't forget."