Wayne Rooney was asked for his rating for five different Premier League strikers who were linked with Manchester United during Ruben Amorim’s reign, including Viktor Gyokeres and Ollie Watkins.
Viktor Gyokeres played under Ruben Amorim at Sporting CP and the 27-year-old striker was tipped for a reunion with the former Manchester United manager.
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The Sweden international was linked with a transfer to Old Trafford last summer, but United did not move for Gyokeres and Arsenal instead landed the forward.
Ollie Watkins, on the other hand, has been on the Reds’ radar during the respective United managerial reigns of Amorim and former Ajax head coach Erik ten Hag.
Amorim was believed to be a big fan of Watkins and wanted to bring the 30-year-old Aston Villa ace to Old Trafford ahead of Man Utd signing Benjamin Sesko in 2025.
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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney looks on before the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 match between Inter Milan and Arsenal at the San Siro in 2026 in Milan, Italy.
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Wayne Rooney’s verdict on missed Man Utd targets Viktor Gyokeres and Ollie Watkins under Ruben Amorim’s watch
Speaking to The Overlap, Wayne Rooney was asked for one-word responses to different Premier League strikers amid the 2025-26 campaign so far.
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United’s all-time leading scorer reacted to Viktor Gyokeres’ name coming up by calling the Arsenal and Sweden striker “effective” after his exit from Sporting CP.
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Patrick Dorgu celebrates with his teammates during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Newcastle United.
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Gyokeres, who signed for Arsenal last July, has netted 15 times and picked up two assists in 36 matches across all competitions in his debut season for the Gunners.
When it came to Ollie Watkins, BBC Sport pundit Rooney singled out a key attribute of the England attacker and responded by saying “speed” when his name came up.
Watkins, who was being valued at around £60m during last summer’s links to Man Utd, has found the back of the net eight times in 37 matches for Villa this season.
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Liam Delap was another name linked with the Red Devils in Amorim’s 14-month Man Utd spell before the 41-year-old Portuguese coach was sacked in January.
Rooney responded to Liam Delap, who left Ipswich Town last June and completed a £30m move to Chelsea, by giving the 23-year-old striker the “powerful” label.
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Hugo Ekitike was tipped with a move to United last summer before his transfer to Liverpool, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin attracted interest from the Red Devils as well.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who became a free agent after his 2025 exit from Everton and later signed for Leeds United, received praise from Rooney as a “reborn” player.
Rooney also showed his admiration towards former Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike, with the Liverpool and France striker being labelled as a “quality” forward.
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