Fergie hails Rooney as one of world´s best

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the growing influence of Wayne Rooney on his team ahead of Tuesday’s crucial Champions League clash against AC Milan at the San Siro here.

Ferguson admitted that his team had felt the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2008 world player of the year, to Real Madrid last summer but hailed Rooney as his club’s new talisman.

“I think Manchester United build up heroes very quickly and players like Rooney will be that kind of player,” he said.

“I know he came to us as a young player from another club (Everton) but fans will always look at Rooney as one of their own.

“He was developed in our club and came at 18 years of age. We’re a peculiar club in that respect with players who come through the club, they’ll always be looked at as better than any player we buy.

“Today he’s fantastic, his form over the last few months has brought him to the highest point in his career, absolutely no doubt about that and the point he’s at is really encouraging.

“When people say some players are world class it’s the most misused term but now Wayne is getting to the point where we have to say he’s one of the best players in the world.”

While United have lost Ronaldo, Milan also lost the player he dethroned as best in the world, Kaka, also to Real, but Ferguson refused to speculate on which team will suffer the most from that.

“They’re two great players but I think only AC Milan can answer that (about Kaka) for themselves, I can’t answer for them but I can say for Ronaldo, he’s a fantastic player,” added the Scot.

“I think he’s the best in the world but I am biased. When a great player leaves it’s a loss but you have to deal with that and recover from that and look at the team differently and move on.

“There’s nothing we can do about it, we can’t complain, we have too much importance in the club to worry about a player released.

“We have to move on and we have moved on but he was a marvellous player, marvellous.”

Another player who moved on before Ronaldo was David Beckham, who Ferguson replaced in 2003 by signing the then 18-year-old Portuguese winger.

Beckham enjoyed great success with United including lifting the Champions League in 1999 but Ferguson said much has changed since he left, also to join Real.

“David left seven years ago, you move on in life, it’s different players and a different team, that’s what happens.

“David has great experience, he has 100-something caps for England, he’s played for AC Milan, Real Madrid and Manchester United, and he’s similar to the other AC Milan players like (Andrea) Pirlo, (Clarence) Seedorf and (Filippo) Inzaghi, they all have great experience and that’s what he’ll bring.”

The last time the two sides met in the semi-finals of the 2007 Champions League, United produced a mesmerising performance to win 3-2 at Old Trafford but were outclassed 3-0 in the San Siro and Milan went on to beat Liverpool in the final to become European champions for the seventh time.

But Ferguson says there were mitigating factors for that United performance that won’t be repeated.

“There’s a maturity we feel that’s happened over the last two years away from home, there’s a distinct change from the last time we were here particularly in the physical part of it.

“And yet the last game the physical part was without question the real reason for our performance.

“We had to play on Saturday against Everton and then the Tuesday with the same team against Milan.

“Of course Milan rested many of their team on the Saturday so they were very fresh and ready for the match and deserved to win but we’re fresh this time.”