Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney names surprise player as his best teammate at Old Trafford
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney named former club midfielder Darren Fletcher as his best teammate during his time at Old Trafford.
Rooney, 38, joined the Red Devils from Everton back in 2004 and attained legendary status, playing there for 13 years. In that time, the former England international bagged a staggering 253 goals and 145 assists from 559 appearances across all competitions.
He won the Premier League trophy five times and the UEFA Champions League once among other honors with the Manchester-based outfit. Rooney is currently Manchester United's top goal-scorer across competitions.
He played alongside Fletcher at Old Trafford until the latter departed for West Brom in 2015. The duo shared the pitch for the Red Devils 228 times, managing 10 joint goal contributions in the process. Fletcher made 342 appearances for the club, bagging 24 goals and 30 assists from a central midfield role.
When quizzed about his best mate during his football career while appearing on a podcast hosted by rugby league legend Rob Burrow, Rooney said (via The Sun):
"Best teammate, I'd probably say Darren Fletcher."
In 2017, Rooney returned to Everton for a season before moving to DC United in 2018. He finished his playing career with Derby County before taking up a new challenge in coaching.
Erik ten Hag explains reason for Manchester United's poor form
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag claims that he needs a core group of fit 13 players to string together a consistent run of results. Currently, the Red Devils are eighth in the Premier League with 18 points, nine behind table-toppers Manchester City.
The club have continued to struggle in the absence of key players like Lisandro Martinez, Casemiro, Luke Shaw, and Tyrell Malacia. Addressing the club's poor form, Ten Hag said (via Manchester Evening News):
"What we have to work on is a stable starting XI, at least with 12 or 13 players, then the routines will be better and more chances will be coming.
"Getting more to starting XI, 12, 13 players, you can rotate so you get routines in the team. In this season so far, left-back and right forward position, we have to change a lot and then you swap the team, you don't get the routines in, also the midfield balance is not there."
Up next for the Red Devils is a Champions League clash against FC Copenhagen on Wednesday (November 8). Manchester United need points as they currently sit third in Group B, six points behind leaders Bayern Munich.