Manchester United legends don’t come much bigger than Wayne Rooney.
Rooney is a true Old Trafford great, he’s the Red Devils’ all-time record goalscorer, and he won all there is to win with United.
Manchester United fans still absolutely adore Rooney to this day, and so do his peers.
James Maddison recently named Rooney as the best Premier League player ever, while Cesc Fabregas has claimed that Rooney was an even better player than Eden Hazard.
Speaking on the Football’s Greatest Podcast, Paul Scholes has been discussing Rooney and his legacy at United.
Scholes noted that Rooney is an all-time great, but he did raise one disappointment about the striker’s career.
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Paul Scholes’ slight disappointment regarding Wayne Rooney
Scholes spoke incredibly highly of Rooney, but he did raise one issue.
Indeed, the United legend says that he was slightly disappointed by the fact Rooney’s career at the top-level was over at such a young age.
“He didn’t care, he just thought he would come here, win trophies, break records, like you say, he doesn’t get the credit he deserves, but he still has a lot of admiration. He was brilliant, but yeah, he should be up there,” Scholes said.
“If I had a slight disappointment it’s that he finished early.”
How old was Wayne Rooney when he left Manchester United?
It’s understandable that Scholes of all people would be disappointed by Rooney calling quits on his top-level career at such a young age.
Rooney was just 31 when he left Old Trafford.
Indeed, Scholes was from a generation of players who stayed at United for a very long time, and many of his contemporaries played until their late 30s.
| Manchester United legends | Age when leaving United |
| Ryan Giggs | 40 |
| Paul Scholes | 39 |
| Gary Neville | 36 |
| Rio Ferdinand | 35 |
| Wayne Rooney | 31 |
Rooney was perhaps the most talented player of the bunch at United, but his powers seemed to wane slightly quicker than the likes of Scholes and Ryan Giggs.
Of course, that’s partially down to the fact Rooney was a Premier League regular at the age of 16, so he had a long career at United in any case, but the culture at Old Trafford for a long time was for players to continue playing late into their careers.
Rooney would continue playing for the likes of Everton, DC United and Derby County, but, for all intents and purposes, his career was basically winding down from the moment he left United.
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