Wayne Rooney has claimed that he looked forward to games against Liverpool the most during his playing career.
The Manchester United legend spoke about The Reds to former teammate Ben Foster, for Amazon Prime Sport’s 4 Stars & Up YouTube show.
Asked by Foster which fixture he looked forward to the most, Rooney didn’t hesitate.
“Liverpool. I looked forward to it for good reasons and bad reasons,” he said with a smile.
As a boyhood Everton fan, former Toffees player and a United legend, this doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. But it may go some way to explaining his less than distinguished record against The Reds.
Rooney was a force of nature on his day. He played with an aggression that could bowl teams over. But perhaps he was too up for Liverpool games. In 30 games for Everton and United against Liverpool, he scored only seven goals.
For a player who holds scoring records for Man United and England, that’s not a great strike rate. For comparison, Steven Gerrard managed nine goals in 35 appearances against Man U.
Seeing red
Foster tells a story in reaction to Rooney’s response here.
“I remember Alex Ferguson always used to tell you before, during and after those games – “do not get sent off Wayne, do not get sent off, just keep it under control,”” said Foster as Rooney chuckled.
“I remember him saying that all the time.”
To his credit, Rooney never did get sent off against Liverpool. During his career, clashes between the sides often had plenty riding on them. But the Scouser always managed to just about keep his head.
Rooney is now in charge of Derby County, who are fighting for Championship survival after being deducted points this season.
The 36-year-old is proving himself to be an adept coach in difficult conditions. He even gave Liverpool youngster Kaide Gordon his senior debut aged just 16-years-old. This has led to links that he could soon take charge of a Premier League team.
It would be interesting to see how Rooney would respond to a trip to Anfield as a manager. The Kop would have a few choice words for an old rival, that’s for sure!
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