Former footballer's Jobi McAnuff and Troy Deeney pictured during the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City FC and Middlesbrough FC at The Coventry Building Society Arena on May 03, 2025 in Coventry, England.Former footballer's Jobi McAnuff and Troy Deeney pictured during the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City FC and Middlesbrough FC at The Coventry Building Society Arena on May 03, 2025 in Coventry, England.
Former footballer's Jobi McAnuff and Troy Deeney pictured during the Sky Bet Championship match between Coventry City FC and Middlesbrough FC at The Coventry Building Society Arena on May 03, 2025 in Coventry, England. | Getty Images
Troy Deeney has named a Manchester United legend as “the most disrespected footballer in English history”
Manchester United have boasted some incredible players down the years, many of the Premier League’s most iconic figures being produced and developed at Old Trafford. Few names hold as much weight as that of Wayne Rooney, the Red Devils’ all-time top goalscorer.
Rooney joined United as a fresh-faced 18-year-old back in 2004 for £27m, a world-record fee for a teenager at the time. He would hit the ground running, scoring a hat-trick on his United debut against Fenerbahce in the Champions League before netting 17 goals in all competitions on the way to winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award in his first season at Old Trafford.
What followed in his career was nothing short of remarkable. Five Premier League titles, a Champions League, a Europa League, three League Cups and an FA Cup, in addition to the PFA Players’ and Fans’ Player of the Year in 2009-10 and the Golden Boy award back in 2004. Rooney also scored one of the most iconic goals in Premier League history with an overhead kick winner in the Manchester derby in 2011.
Then finally, the greatest honour of all as by 2017 Rooney had become the all-time top goalscorer of both United and England - breaking the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton’s record after over 40 years on both occasions. Rooney’s record of 53 goals for England has since been broken by Harry Kane, but his 253 goals for United look unlikely to be matched for years to come.
But yet, Rooney’s name rarely appears in all-time Premier League XIs and he is often forgotten when it comes to the best players of his generation in world football.
Wayne Rooney “most disrespected footballer in English history”
On the pitch, Rooney’s qualities were clear to see. His physical attributes were immense and he worked harder than anyone for the team, but this selfless quality would eventually be to his detriment as he began to physically decline by his late 20s. He instead shone in a deeper, creative role in his final years at United, but this era coincided with the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure and isn’t remembered fondly by fans.
Rooney also received criticism for failing to deliver his best performances at international tournaments, part of a plagued England “golden” generation which was by no means Rooney’s fault.
Former Premier League striker Troy Deeney spoke on Rooney’s career and why he feels the former United and England striker is disrespected.
"People don’t know how good Wayne Rooney was."
He added: "There’s nothing that man couldn’t do. You know how people talk about Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham now… Wayne could do it all. He scored goals, he was stronger than most players, he was rapid, he would tackle. At 18 he was going at Lilian Thuram and going 'You're getting it!’".
What Sir Alex Ferguson has said about Rooney
He said: "Wayne came in as a first-team player right away, even though he was only 18, and he's gone on to play for Manchester United for 12 years, which is very difficult in the present day.
"I always think that great players can play in any era. Bobby Charlton would have been a great player today and Wayne Rooney would have been a great player back then."
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