David Moyes on Monday made his stance on the Wayne Rooney issue very clear when he sang the unsettled Manchester United striker’s praises in an address tothe Cambridge Union Society. Rooney, who handed in a transfer request two weeks ago, is understood to be reevaluating his Manchester United future now that David Moyes is replacing the retiringAlex Ferguson. For Moyes, keeping Rooney at United is one of his top objectives when he takes the job on July 1.
When asked if Rooney was one of the top 10 strikers in theworld, Moyes replied: “Wayne Rooney was and is an exceptional talent. When we sold him to Manchester United he was fantastic. When he left Everton, he was already an outstanding player. … Hewas brilliant, some of the stuff he did. He was football-mad – every training session he would run out, volleying the ball everywhere. He was just a really good 16-year-old footballer but thething was, he could have left training and then gone out into the street and played with his pals and thought nothing of it.”
He added: “A lot of people use the terminology’street footballer’ and I really think Wayne was the last of the classic street footballers. You could see him in the street, hitting the ball against the walls with his friends. Part of thatculture has gone but, coming from Glasgow, I knew what it was like. I do think Wayne really was the last true street footballer I have worked with.”