Defenders not as good as they were in my day – Rooney

Wayne Rooney, a former striker for Manchester United and England, has faced more than one of the best defenders.

Rooney faced the best centre-backs the continent has to offer having spent 13 years with a United side that was successful both domestically and internationally.

However, the forward claims that his 19-year senior career’s opponents did not compare to those he faced today on the most recent episode of the BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show.

The 39-year-old said, “The centre-backs are nowhere near as good as the ones I played against.”

He rates Gabriel and William Saliba at Arsenal as the best players in the current Premier League lineup.

Gabriel and Sabubian really complement one another, he said.

You need talkers and leaders as centre-backs because you can see them speaking and leading.

Would I expect them to perform the same way against the players I’ve faced? No, I wouldn’t. But they might be the best pairing right now.

Rooney praised Saliba’s new contract with the Gunners as “impressive” and claimed that manager Mikel Arteta was able to keep hold of the Frenchman.

He said, “That helps with maybe other players following suit and players coming in in January and the summer.”

Everyone benefits when they are aware of stability.

Rooney lists his top five defensive backs in the most recent podcast episode.

Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, both of whom he praised, would have been on his overall list of the top five defenders, he said.

“We played AC Milan in the first leg at Old Trafford.” I suddenly realized he was breathing heavily behind me and that he was not even finishing his 90 minutes. I scored in the final minute to give United the victory, but he was unable to get past it.

He was a completely different player in the second leg, with no heavy breathing or panting, which was a big reason why I chose him.

He had a good head of the ball and was capable of tackle. Perhaps John Terry’s presence at Chelsea contributed a little to his dismissal.

He understood the direction in which the next five minutes of the game were going, and when he was speaking to his team-mates, they could hear him as they listened to him, which I really liked.

He was as good at passing through the lines and launching attacks as any other defender you will ever see.

He was fun to play with, and he was a winner. His issue at United was when he arrived, despite his best efforts, how could he have physically coped with it?

He was strong, good in the air, never lost his line, and was a threat on set-pieces, according to his defense.

When you approached him, he would just hurt you. He never intended to, but he would constantly leave something on you.