“He’s selfish but he wants to make you better” - Hojlund chooses ex-Manchester United star ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo as dream strike partner

Manchester United striker Rasmus Hojlund has picked Wayne Rooney over Cristiano Ronaldo when asked which club legend he would prefer to play alongside the most.

The Danish striker missed out on playing with the Portuguese legend by six months, joining the summer after Ronaldo ended his second stint at the club.

Speaking to the club's in-house media, the former Atalanta man talked about Wayne Rooney's qualities:

"I think I would take Wayne to be fair because he's like a bulldog. He likes to work and he would do a massive job for me. He's selfish but he wants to make you better and he wants to score goals as well.

"I think we could have a nice partnership together, especially with his size as well. He could drop deep and I could maybe make the deeper runs as well. You never know, I've not played with him but I hope we would score many."

The Manchester United striker, however, revealed that he holds Cristiano Ronaldo in the highest regard. Hojlund concluded his interview, saying:

"He had a rough childhood, he came through it, he wanted to be the best. He even just put it out there very early. I think there's an interview with Anderson, Ferdinand, and Ronaldo where they ask, the reporter asks, 'Who's the best football player in the world' and then he just said 'me'."

"I like this mentality. He just put it out and said at least he wanted to be the best, and that's the same mentality I go for. I want to be the best version of myself."

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How Cristiano Ronaldo ended second stint at Manchester United ended in acrimony

Manchester United icon Cristiano Ronaldo left the club following a controversial interview with British broadcaster Piers Morgan in November 2022. The Portuguese striker was scathing in his interview, criticizing the club and manager Erik ten Hag.

Following his explosive interview, the club found it impossible to continue their relationship with the striker and terminated his contract. Cristiano Ronaldo would then join Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr following.

Cristiano Ronaldo rejoined the Red Devils from Italian giants Juventus in the summer of 2021, but his return did not go as planned. He scored 27 goals in 54 appearances across competitions in his second spell at Old Trafford.