Wayne Rooney has dropped an eye-opening insight into the invaluable lesson that he learned during his prolific time under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
The 40-year-old Manchester United legend burst onto the scene at boyhood club Everton under David Moyes and he immediately caught the eye of Sir Alex Ferguson.
Wayne Rooney was only 18 years old when he left Goodison Park and completed a sensational move to Old Trafford to play under the legendary ex-United manager.
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United signed the former Everton striker in a deal worth £27m in 2004, with the Red Devils agreeing to an initial fee of £20m for Rooney’s blockbuster transfer.
Rooney entered the history books at Old Trafford after an illustrious playing spell, which saw him shatter Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time record goalscoring feat.
United’s current all-time record scorer is widely considered one of the best strikers in Premier League history and Rooney enjoyed incredible success with the Red Devils.
Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty ImagesWayne Rooney on what former Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson told him at Old Trafford
Wayne Rooney’s legendary Manchester United spell saw him lift five Premier League titles, a Champions League, a Europa League, an FA Cup and three League Cups.
The England legend was a key striker for Sir Alex Ferguson during the late stages of the iconic former United manager’s remarkable 26-year spell at Old Trafford.
Rooney carried on his career at the Red Devils after Ferguson’s retirement as United head coach in 2013 and was once a longstanding influential player at the club.
Speaking on his BBC Sport-hosted show, the former United captain cannot overlook the all-important words that were echoed to him by Red Devils icon Ferguson.
“I always remember the one line he said, one thing he said — and he said it a few times — is, ‘The hardest thing to do in life is work hard,’ and that stuck with me,” he said on The Wayne Rooney Show.
“I think, ‘Great,’ whatever job you’re doing and that can apply to anything really.”
Rooney would later become United captain in his Old Trafford spell after he ascended to the role under former Red Devils head coach Louis van Gaal.
The former United striker played under David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho in the post-Ferguson era before he made his exit from the Red Devils.
Rooney has now admitted that he can see an incredible meaning behind Ferguson’s powerful words when he puts it into the context of football as a player.
“So, I think in football we have talent, we have ability and… but sometimes we don’t look at working hard every day and you’d think that’s normal,” he continued.
“You should do that if you play for a big club, but some players, actually, you’ve seen them, they don’t and so that was the one thing which stuck with me.”
Rooney, who retired from football as a player in 2021, left Old Trafford in 2017 after his remarkable spell and returned to boyhood club Everton for a brief second run.