Kidd hails phenomenal 'Roo'

December 07, 2005

PHENOMENAL: Rooney

REDS stalwart Brian Kidd has labelled Wayne Rooney a "sensational" talent who will just get better with age.

Rooney is now too old to match Kidd's achievement of winning the European Cup on his 19th birthday, but there appear to be plenty of glory days on the horizon for the England striker.

As a former assistant to Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford and a previous member of Sven-Goran Eriksson's coaching team, Kidd has been in the privileged position of working closely with Rooney as well as United's famed 'class of 92'.

He believes the similarities in desire between Rooney and the likes of David Beckham, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and the Neville brothers are startling.

And he is convinced the best is yet to come from the 20-year-old, who cost Ferguson £27million when he prized him away from Everton last year.

"I was very lucky to work with Wayne in the England set-up when he was only 18," said Kidd.

"I have witnessed his ability first hand in training and matches. He is an absolutely phenomenal talent and he is going to get better and better.

"He has got the same desire and fire in his belly as the young lads who came through in the class of 92.

Hungry

"They were hungry and put demands on themselves and Wayne would have sat comfortably in that famous group."

At the time, many feared Ferguson had paid too much for Rooney, the price being driven up by the interest of Newcastle.

If anything, Rooney's performances since his arrival at Old Trafford give the impression United got excellent value for money.

It is difficult to imagine either the Red Devils or England mounting any serious challenge for honours without Rooney in top form, and Kidd is relishing the prospect of watching him develop over the next decade.

"Buying Wayne was a fantastic piece of business," he said.

"Forget the money. Whether you pay £100,000 or £40million, what matters is what you are buying. If United were to sell him now, they would get much more for him than they paid.

"From a footballing point of view he has a fantastic temperament and when you ally that to his ability, you have a young man who wouldn't be fazed and can perform anywhere.

"Whether it is the World Cup, the European Championships, the Champions League or the Premiership, no platform is too big for him."

Could Rooney become the greatest United player of all time? Have your say

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red john, urmston (07/12/2005 at 14:07)

No lets not get carried away here rooney is an exceptional talent[ and kiddo knows a thing or 2 about youth talent along with eric harrison brought the most talented bunch of kids together this club has ever seen]
But a george best he a and given ain't and never will be ; he is the first rooney given the right support will develop into a true great but better than bestie i don;t think so!!!

Brett Thompson, Bourne (07/12/2005 at 14:30)

i think rooney is already on the way towards becoming one of the games greats, had a conversation with my brother, and he thinks rooney is over rated!!!! then again he is a liverpool supporter!!

as long as he stays at man utd, he will be fine, its if he goes somewhere else with out fergie there to help him! but fergie will be gone soon thats when the test starts!!

the fact of the matter, man utd rely on him, england rely on him, with out him the two teams are no where near as good, and for a 20 year old that is a huge burden!!!

mcgrath, LONDON (07/12/2005 at 14:56)

DID ANY ONE SEE DUNCAN EDWARDS?

DC, Dublin (07/12/2005 at 15:02)

Jeez enough of the hyperbole! The time to consider whether he's one of our best ever players is after his career has finished, like with Cantona. Best and Cantona provided football that we'd never seen before, they created the moulds. Best with his dribbling skills, Cantona with his flicks and unbelievable technical ability. Time will tell with Rooney, but I'd still take Cantona in his prime over him (I was too young to see Best play live, can't really judge from 5 second clips).

Edson, Sao Paulo, Brazil (07/12/2005 at 15:13)

you should be very pround to have a player like Rooney. already he is one of the best in the world and has many fans here in Brazil. there are not many players with such greatness, especially at such a young age.

Steve, Brussels (07/12/2005 at 15:25)

different players in different eras. You may be able to compare Best wih Pele and Eusebio but can't compare Rooney with Edwards, Best, Cruyff, Platini & Maradonna or even Gazza. They all played in different eras. Fitness regimes were different, defenses were different. Football evolves. The only thing is all would have stood out in whichever era because of their talent. You just can't compare without discounting other variables

RED ARMY, Madchester (07/12/2005 at 15:50)

My old man said they threw away the moulds when they made Best & Edwards, and not for the Munich disaster Edwards would have PROBABLY been the best player to walk out at O/T???... But i can't comment as only ever seen a glimpse of Edwards and videos of Bestie. But if Rooney turns out to have a percentage of Besties raw talent later in life, and is of course still at MUFC then bring it on...........

Tom, Hazel trove (07/12/2005 at 16:41)

wayne rooney the greatest utd player of all time ha dont make me laugh he couldnt beat george best if his life depended on it

Rather BE dead Than RED

GEORGE, RHYL (07/12/2005 at 17:29)

BESTY,Pele,Cruyff,reluctantly Maradonna stood out in their own era.Mathews,Finney etc.If Rooney stands out as a great player of his time that will do.The Greatest? Who can ever tell?

TRUE MAN U FAN!!!, Manchester (07/12/2005 at 17:56)

Anyone saying he cant become the best ever is either jealous or just doesn't like the lad. Anyone saying he is going 2 be the best is going over the top also. He is only 20! There is no question he has exceptional talent and is already the most important player 4 England and has great potential, however anything could happen in the next 10 15 years. The time 2 judge is at the end of his career and now, we should just admire his ability and hope he proves his potential and at the end of his career we will be saying what a great player he was 4 Man United and a true legend.

TRUE MAN U FAN!!!, Manchester (07/12/2005 at 17:56)

A Macunian, Manchester (07/12/2005 at 18:59)

I personally believe Ronaldinho will go on to be the greatest player of all time, never mind Rooney. That is on condition that some scientist doesn't break the mould and create the 'perfect footballer'. If we want to compare Rooney with Best, as has already been said, there are too many variables. The game was much more physical and the ball was harder then but look how quick it is now. I think if Ronaldinho and Rooney went back in time, though, they'd make those defences look really stupid. Nobody would get near those 2. Whether George Best would be equally as good in the Premiership or Champions League is open to question.

RF, The Man With No Shame. (07/12/2005 at 22:02)

whoooooops!!!!!

Malcolm Glazer's Business Plan is based on Man U getting to the last 16, AT THE LEAST. Now that he's going to miss out on a potential B#14mill min where is he going to get the money from? How will he pay that ma$$ive debt + interest = B#850,000,000? Lower players' wages? Cheaper buys? Dearer tickets? Dearer produce? No January money to be offered? Your guess is as good as mine but he certainly won't be doing it with MY money!

Mick Mills, Wilmslow (07/12/2005 at 22:03)

We have never been the same without Kidd as coach.I was surprised tonight First goal for them was Ruud loosing the ball in centre of the field.Keane was right with the exception of Smith who was excellent.A lot of those players are just not United quality.The way he keeps picking Scholes and Giggs is a joke.They are past it.I am not sad I expected it.I think this is all down to Ferguson and Carlos.

RF, The Man With No Shame. (07/12/2005 at 22:36)

What an insult, to the GM, Georgie, Kiddo. Different era. Think about the leather ball that lost it's shape by half time, the muddy quagmires, the training, the bus to get to the match, the list is endless. Now they're all pampered poodles, slightest knock & 6 weeks off, plastic ball, pitch like a snooker table, etc. Roo will NEVER be 10% of Georgie.

TRUE MAN U FAN!!!, Manchester (09/12/2005 at 19:30)

Suggesting the differences in the times to come out with the answer that Rooney will not be 10%as good indicates to me that you have no brain. What George Best did in those days was absolutely terrific, but if you are going to compare, then dont just compare the variables in Geroge Best's favour. How about the standard of players. The standard of players as a whole has increased immensely since GB was playing. Some of the teams in the top division then, would struggle to cope in the Scottish 3rd division now! The fitness and pace, technical awareness, the goalkeepers have even got taller! Leave your comparisons to the end of his career

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