Five Wayne Rooney attributes that Manchester United and its fans will sorely miss

#4: Selfless dedication to the team

Wayne Rooney was an exceptional team player.

If there was one term that would suit this United legend, it is 'team-player.' Rooney has been a selfless player who has always put his team before him. The dedication and selflessness Rooney has shown to United is rare to find. No wonder Messi deems him as a 'once in a generation' player.

Revealed in Patrick Barclay's biography titled Football, Bloody Hell! on Sir Alex Ferguson, Rooney asked to play as a centre back in 2005 for a clash versus Chelsea. Why? because United had been facing an injury crisis in their defence.

Although Sir Alex Ferguson didn't end up playing him in defence, he must surely have been proud to bring Rooney to United, seeing his selfless service for the team.

Another example, and the best he is known for, is his ultimate sacrifice for Cristiano Ronaldo in the team. Rooney was at his peak for United, when Sir Alex decided to play him on the left flank to accommodate Cristiano Ronaldo in the middle.

Any other player, including Ronaldo himself, would have quit for being sacrificed like that. But, Rooney stayed. The reason was he was never an egoistic player, despite being regarded as one of the best players in those times.

Imagine a player scoring 38 goals playing out of position. That proves what a top quality player Rooney was.

Back in 2009, when Ronaldo and Tevez left, it was predicted that United would go through a very dark time. Again, Rooney stepped up to the occasion, carrying the weight of United's expectation on his shoulders.

He scored 34 goals in all competitions that season, being a saviour at Old Trafford. All these examples exhibit his greatness both as a person and a player.

Recently, Rooney became United's all-time top scorer, netting a worthy record-breaking goal with an insane free-kick. Yet, the calmness with which he celebrated his goal shocked the fans.

When quizzed about it, Rooney stated that the draw was no reason to be happy and three points were every thing that mattered. Talk about dedication and selflessness. Rooney is a walking tribute to those two values.