“He was frustrating to play with” - When Wayne Rooney named his best and worst ever Manchester United teammates

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney once revealed the best and worst teammates he played with during his illustrious career at Old Trafford. During an appearance on rugby legend Rob Burrow’s podcast in 2023, Rooney was asked to pick the standout teammates from his time at Manchester United.

Having spent over a decade at the club, the former England international played alongside several world-class players and close friends, making his choices intriguing for football fans.

Rooney named Darren Fletcher as his best teammate, citing their close friendship and strong on-field chemistry.

"Best teammate? I'd say Darren Fletcher, he's my best mate,” Rooney said. “There were a few - John O'Shea, Wes Brown, Michael Carrick - we were all really close. But Fletch was probably the one. We sat next to each other in the dressing room and shared really good moments on and off the pitch together. We're really good friends I'd say Darren Fletcher is my best teammate and closest."

Meanwhile, Rooney picked Nani as his worst Manchester United teammate, saying he found the former Portuguese international frustrating to play with.

"My worst team-mate - there are a lot more than you'd probably think," quipped Rooney. "On the pitch, the toughest one was Nani. He was frustrating to play with."

Wayne Rooney, who joined Manchester United in 2004, got to share the locker room with Nani at Old Trafford after the Portuguese joined the club in 2007. However, Darren Fletcher was a product of the Manchester United youth team and was promoted to the senior team in 2001.

Rooney and Fletcher shared the pitch with Fletcher at United 228 times and combined for a total of 10 goals. Despite naming Nani as his worst teammate, Rooney combined for more goals (23) with the Portuguese winger in fewer appearances (155) than he did with Fletcher.

''I've got faith in him'' - Wayne Rooney leaps to the defense of Manchester United forward amid goal drought

In a recent interview, Wayne Rooney leapt to the defense of Manchester United forward Rasmus Hojlund amid this poor run of form and also shared valuable advice for the Dane.

Hojlund has endured a difficult time since his move to Old Trafford in 2023. In the ongoing season, he has scored seven goals in 37 appearances for the club. However, he hasn’t scored in his last 20 games for United across competitions.

Rooney, who had an illustrious time at Old Trafford and left as the club’s all-time top scorer, recently came to the young striker's defense. He told BBC Sport:

"You know, a striker for Manchester United, when you're not scoring goals, there's a lot of pressure, a lot of people talking about you. Can you do it for Manchester United? I think the best thing to do is simplify it and obviously making the runs into penalty boxes is as easy as it comes, you have to make them runs.

"But simplifying the game, getting the ball, laying it off, getting in the box, getting the ball out wide, getting in the penalty box, putting yourself in the best position to score goals. Nine times out of 10 you're relying on your team-mates to give you chances and put the ball in the box or slide balls in behind."

He added:

"Maybe he hasn't been doing that, he hasn't been getting that service of late. But I've got faith in him. I think he is a good player and he works hard. I think that's really important as well. I think he just needs that goal and once he gets it, they'll all start coming."