ROONEY'S BETTER THAN BEST

Last updated : 22 September 2006 By Editor
More from Rio's book:

Wazza has such enthusiasm for the game, he's like a kid. But when you put him on a pitch he's got the mind of a seasoned professional.

Wazza actually believes he will be better than Eric Cantona and George Best. He actually said so once, half- jokingly, when we were in the dressing room.
We were talking about Best, Bryan Robson and Cantona and how they are legends at United and he went, “I'll be the best player to play for United,” and smiled.

Deep down he really does believe it, but he's not being cocky.

People can see he's so good that it's possible he will be the best United player of all time, provided he can steer clear of the unfortunate injuries which are getting in his way. He's not just about silky skills. He's got the end product, he's clinical and he puts others in on goal.

I remember when I first saw him close up.

He was called into the England squad to play Turkey in a Euro 2004 qualifier. He blew everyone away in training with his confidence and sheer ability.

During one session he went from halfway past a number of defenders and chipped this shot over Paul Robinson from the corner of the box.

I was at the back laughing, it was so good. The kid was amazing, an absolute joke.