Wayne Rooney Gave Shock Answer When Naming Worst Ever Teammate at Man United

Having plied his trade for Manchester United during some of the club’s most illustrious years, Wayne Rooney has quite an impressive collection of teammates – from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes to name just a few.




Considered royalty among the Old Trafford faithful, the daring striker played 559 times for the club and called time on his career as their leading top goalscorer with 253 strikes, overtaking none other than Sir Bobby Charlton in the process.

A 120-cap England international, too, the talented Everton graduate was a beloved figure across the nation and is remembered as one of the greatest English footballers of all time, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Bobby Moore and Harry Kane.

Despite amounting a career that many are envious of, Liverpool-born Rooney had to endure sharing a dressing room, and pitch, with some not-so-good players. But who did he, one of Manchester United’s greatest ever assets, enjoy playing with the least?


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Rooney Picks Nani as Worst Man Utd Teammate

‘My worst teammate? There are a lot more than you’d probably think!’

Well fear not, as the Premier League icon, while appearing on rugby league legend Rob Burrow’s podcast ‘Seven’, revealed who his favourite teammate was during his lengthy stint at Old Trafford. He jovially suggested – despite his array of success in a Manchester United strip – that there were plenty of bad teammates during his Old Trafford stint: “My worst teammate? There are a lot more than you’d probably think!”

That said, he was adamant on one name, in particular, whom he suggested was ‘frustrating’ to play with – and that was former teammate Luis Nani. A player of Portuguese descent, the left-winger recorded 41 goals and 70 assists in 230 games for the club.


“On the pitch, the toughest one was Nani. He was frustrating to play with.”

Regarded as one of the most skilful players in Premier League history and best remembered for an audacious trick or flick rather than a simple pass – it’s easy to see why Nani, now earning his corn at Estrela Amadora, would be frustrating to play with.

A four-time Premier League winner, Nani had the pleasure of playing alongside Rooney on 155 different occasions – their first being a Community Shield victory against Chelsea. What followed was a throng of wins, success and trophies under Sir Alex Ferguson with the glittering man on the flank often delivering balls for Rooney to latch onto – in fact, the pair combined for a goal 23 times.


Their most memorable link up came against Manchester City. A goal considered to be one of the best in Premier League history, the winger’s teasing delivery was met by an acrobatic Rooney as the home contingent erupted into raptures. Relish its beauty below:

Darren Fletcher Named as Rooney’s Best Teammate

‘ We shared really good moments on and off the pitch together’

Rooney, now plying his trade as Plymouth Argyle boss, was also given the onerous task of naming his best-ever teammate while at Old Trafford. And as touched upon earlier, the one-time Champions League winner played with all manner of talent.


That said, there was one former teammate who stood out above the rest: Darren Fletcher. Reminiscing on their time spent together – on the pitch and inside the dressing room – Rooney revealed: “My best team-mate, I’d say Darren Fletcher.”

“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 and I’d say Darren Fletcher is my best teammate and closest.”

The Scot, who spent a trophy-ladened 14-year stay with the club’s senior side, was somewhat underrated given the star-studded nature of Ferguson’s side, but the midfielder was – at least by Rooney’s admission – up there with the best.

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Rooney, 39, and Fletcher, 40, enjoyed an acclaimed 11 years together at the Theatre of Dreams, with the latter becoming a Carrington graduate a mere two years before Rooney joined the club from Everton.


The pair lined up alongside each other on 228 separate occasions – to put that into perspective: only six other players at the club featured alongside Rooney more than Fletcher, who now works as technical coach at the club, did.

Wayne Rooney – Career Statistics

Club/Country

Games

Goals

Assists

Yellow/Red Cards

Manchester United

559

253

139

98/3

England

120

53

21

12/2

Everton

117

28

8

26/1

DC United

52

25

14

6/2

Derby County

35

7

3

3/0

All statistics per Transfermarkt – correct as of 30/11/24

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