Graeme Souness hails Man Utd legend but ‘turns sound down’ on other pundits
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Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. ‘If you’re putting together an all-time Manchester United team, Wayne Rooney is one of the first names on the sheet – he was a real warrior. ‘I love Wayne Rooney as a player, and I like to listen to him – he has got authority so I can listen to him. Wayne Rooney has become a regular voice for the BBC (Picture: Getty Images) ‘Some of the other pundits, I turn the sound down.’ Rooney riles Reds star Rooney has already ruffled some feathers in his short time as a pundit so far, annoying Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk with comments on his leadership.
The 40-year-old said on The Wayne Rooney Show in October: ‘Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, they’ve signed new deals but I don’t think they’ve really led that team this season. ‘I think body language tells you a lot, and I think we’re seeing slightly different body language from the two of them. Just to come back to this particular player, obviously a legend, a big player of the game who inspired so many, I can say only positive things but I feel that comment is just I would say it’s a bit of a lazy criticism.’ The pair then had a slightly awkward exchange live on TNT Sports after Liverpool beat Real Madrid in the Champions League, but Rooney has since rowed back on his comments, suggesting he was wrong on part of them. ‘My job now is to give my opinions, and I like to think I’m straight and honest with my opinions and how I feel,’ Rooney said on The Overlap Fan Debate with Sky Bet.
Van Dijk and Rooney met at Anfield (Picture: TNT Sports) ‘The one thing where I maybe went a bit too strong is where I said he’s downed tools since he signed his new contract – that’s a big thing to say, and maybe I was wrong on that. ‘But from a performance level, from what we’ve seen from Van Dijk, I don’t think he’s been at that level this season, and I said I’m sure as captain he’d be speaking to players, taking them out for food, which he said he has done. Clearly if he’s felt he’s done that, if he had to do that, there’s something not right. ‘As champions, you can’t lose four games in a row.