Wayne Rooney has named a former Premier League striker who proved to be a difficult challenge for Gerard Piqué to deal with, stating it was that struggle that cost the former Spain international a longer career at Manchester United.
Gerard Piqué may be one of the best centre-backs to have come from Spain, but he failed to cement a place in the first team after spending four years at Old Trafford.
The Barcelona legend arrived as a promising 17-year-old and made 23 appearances for the first team after graduating from the academy.
In 2008, Piqué returned to Barcelona and remained at the club until he retired in 2022, after winning nine league titles and the Champions League three times with the La Liga giants.
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Piqué was successful on the international stage, too, featuring in the greatest side produced by the Spain national team. They were crowned World Cup champions in 2010 before winning the European Championship two years later.
It may go down as one of football’s great mysteries as to why Piqué didn’t make it at United, but there was plenty of reason for it at the time.
Wayne Rooney covering the Champions League at Anfield
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Wayne Rooney recalls Gerard Piqué struggles against Kevin Davies
Perhaps the biggest factor behind Piqué’s struggles at United was that he couldn’t get a run in the team as Sir Alex Ferguson had settled on a centre-back pairing of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
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Not only were Ferdinand and Vidic vastly more experienced than Piqué, but they went on to become the best centre-back pairing in Europe, which ultimately justified Ferguson’s decision.
Piqué went on to become one of the best defenders in the world at Barcelona, but he didn’t warrant a place in the team at United ahead of Ferdinand and Vidic.
Former United striker Wayne Rooney believes former Bolton striker Kevin Davies proved to be such hard work for Piqué that it made it easier for Ferguson to sell him back to Barcelona.
Speaking to Sam Allardyce on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, United’s all-time top scorer spoke about his experiences of working with the former Everton manager and playing against his teams throughout his career.
“You knew what it was going to be, you listen to Patrice Evra talk,” Rooney said.
“I think Gerard Piqué, his career in England got cut short because he couldn’t handle Kevin Davies, and so everyone knew it was going to be a horrible game and a battle. And you had to win the battle if you wanted to win the game. So, it was never easy.”
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Gerard Piqué among five players to join Man Utd from Barcelona
Only five players have signed for United directly from Barcelona in the past.
Mark Hughes was the first in 1988 for a then-record £1.8 million.
While Hughes went on to become a club legend, the next signing, Jordi Cruyff, flopped after his time was marred by injuries.
The other signings include Piqué, Victor Valdes, and Marc Jurado.
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