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Group: ;admin!Posts: 2411 Location: ,a place called heaven Status:  | |
| Roon’s so good it’s ... scary
The barbed message comes from his former Manchester United team-mate Dimitar Berbatov, who rates Wayne Rooney as a better player.
Berbatov, 28, said: "Ronaldo was a fantastic player for us and I'm sure he will be very good for Real Madrid.
"But, for me, our biggest talent is and always was - even last season - Wayne Rooney.
"He is an incredible talent and will be one of the best players in Europe for many years to come.
"The scary thing with Wayne is he's four or five years off his peak and, when you see the level he's at now, that is almost impossible to get your head round."
While Ronaldo enjoyed the star treatment that went with his status in the game, Berbatov says Rooney is just a pure footballer.
He added: "Wayne just loves to play football, it was what he was born to do and you can see that. He is not concerned about any of the glamour that goes with it.
"He amazes us on the training pitch almost every day and his hunger seems to get bigger with every game.
"His attitude and love for the game reminds me of a child who could spend all day in the park with nothing but a football."
CLOSE SHAVE ... Wayne Rooney in new Nike ad
Rooney, 23, did not look too in love with the game on Wednesday as United crashed to a shock defeat at newly-promoted Burnley.
In fact he could easily have been sent off for a late studs-up challenge on Tyrone Mears that brought only a yellow card.
He netted the only goal on the opening day against Birmingham but the performance from the whole team was not good, nor was it at Turf Moor.
Many at Old Trafford have seemed in denial about the effect the loss of Ronaldo would have on the team following his £80million move to the Bernabeu.
Already, his absence seems obvious despite Berbatov's positive spin on the situation.
On the Far East Tour, the message coming out of the camp was that United would be a lot more compact and difficult to beat with Ronaldo gone.
Now left-back Patrice Evra claims they will attack better as a team without him and he personally will be able to get further forward to do his bit.
Evra said: "I've been getting forward a little more. Then again, that's how we always like to play, with attacking full-backs.
"But maybe this season we'll see more of the full-backs in the final third.
"When you had Ronaldo in front of you, sometimes it was tempting to just give him the ball because you knew he could make something happen.
"We'd overlap at times but usually he would manage on his own. So maybe we'll attack using more players this season - more like a team."
A team that has so far scored one goal in two games against two newly-promoted teams.
But, while United lost at Burnley, Berbatov denies that they take any match easy no matter what the opposition.
He said: "The players at this club are far too experienced to look at any game as being easy.
"We know there is no such thing in the Premier League and the boss would not allow us to have that sort of attitude.
"Playing the promoted teams early in the season can be tricky because they are running on adrenaline, wanting to show they can mix it with the top clubs."
Burnley certainly did that on Wednesday and expect 'little' Wigan to do the same today.
Pictures & Video : here |
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