He is a playground footballer one who chases everything

He is a playground footballer, one who chases everything.”Rooney has been rested from only one Premiership fixture when he has been available this season, a sign of United’s increasing reliance on the 20-year-old. You look at Wayne and you know he could do a decent job at right-back, he’s probably a good goalkeeper as well He is a good footballer full stop. Because of the position he plays Rooney can have more of an effect than Gazza did He is not an out-and-out goalscorer. Twenty years ago no-one would have heard of Theo Walcott, for example, he is just a baby who has played a couple of games.

Myself and a lot of England supporters are hoping he delivers and comes back from this World Cup with his reputation enhanced and I expect that to happen. He is the one player who can win you a World Cup.”This kid has been on the block since he was 16 and I don’t think that was the case with Gazza, then again the media spotlight has changed. City, who have won two of the last three derbies on home soil, were above their illustrious neighbours when they travelled to Old Trafford for a 1-1 draw in September but are now 17 points adrift having claimed two victories from their past 10 league games.”There are no laws to a derby,” warned Ferguson, no doubt mindful of past experiences, and indeed when the topic of Wayne Rooney’s enduring excellence arose yesterday it was Pearce who ignored local rivalry and paid the fullest tribute to a player he believes has already eclipsed the impact of the last English genius, Paul Gascoigne.The City manager, who attempted to chaperone Gascoigne at the 1990 World Cup, declared: “Gazza made his name in world football when he got to the World Cup whereas this boy has made his already He is slightly ahead of Gazza in his development. “Scoring in the derby is better than sex,” said the former England international, and is it any wonder they also drive managers to despair?

Both Pearce and his opposite number Sir Alex Ferguson need the therapeutic effect of a derby victory at the City of Manchester Stadium this afternoon, where the home manager and his players were jeered following their last performance in the Premiership and the United manager faces his own support for the first time since openly embracing Malcolm Glazer’s controversial takeover: “It is a much better situation than when we were a plc,” he said yesterday.
The added ingredient in this Manchester derby has come from Europe rather than America, however, with the blue half keen to revel in United’s Champions’ League exit while under rare pressure to take not only local pride, but three points that would revive Uefa Cup qualification hopes.

Stuart Pearce had just issued an appeal for players to remain detached from the incendiary atmosphere of a local derby when his Manchester-born, City-raised winger Trevor Sinclair presented his own perspective on a confrontation that reaches chapter 145 today. The 28-year-old has been given a contract which runs until the end of the season and becomes manager Sam Allardyce’s second signing of the transfer window following the capture of Oman goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi.Allardyce said: “Matt has great potential, even though he hasn’t been involved with Blackburn of late, and I do believe he has the right qualities to resurrect his career here at the Reebok.”. The only one missing is Noureddine Naybet who is on international duty with Morocco in the African Nations Cup.”Bolton have signed Matt Jansen after the striker was released by Premiership neighbours Blackburn. “He began training on Thursday as did Davids, Teemu Tainio, Andy Reid and Lee Yong-Pyo. King has been missing since he tore a groin muscle in the win over Birmingham on Boxing Day while Davids has struggled with an ankle injury for the last two weeks.”Ledley is fit,” said Jol. “Huddlestone has got an agreement until the 21st of January,” added the Dutchman.Spurs visit Anfield boosted by the return of the England defender Ledley King and Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids. The midfielder has been a success at Molineux and the former Spurs manager Glenn Hoddle was hoping to extend the youngster’s stay.

If he comes back fine and he can do the same job, we will start talking to him Last year he did not play a lot, he was injured and not fit. But this season he has done well and he is influential.”Meanwhile Jol confirmed that Tom Huddlestone’s loan spell at Wolves will end this month. “We had that problem with Fredi Kanout?n the past when he came back injured. Mido’s 18-month loan spell at Tottenham expires at the end of the season and he has already told Roma he has no intention of going back to the Serie A club.
Roma have admitted Spurs have already made tentative steps towards negotiating a long-term deal for Mido who is available to play against Liverpool today before spending the rest of the month playing for his country in Egypt.”First we have to see how he comes back,” said Jol. Martin Jol has confirmed Tottenham intend to begin talks with the Egyptian striker Mido about a permanent move to the club if he returns injury-free from the African Nations Cup. Took a long time to score his first goal but the striker is finding form HIT* CURTIS DAVIES From Luton Fee: £3m Signed 31 Aug 2005 Age 20 Big, strong and mature centre-half Still learning his trade but a good prospect HIT.

The midfielder scored a fantastic goal against Arsenal at the start of the season but has been inconsistent since MISS* CHRIS KIRKLAND From Liverpool Fee: Loan Signed 27 June 2005 Age 24 Brilliant start, then hit by injury again Now kept out by Tomasz Kuszczak HIT* STEVE WATSON From Everton Fee: Free Signed 5 July 2005 Age 31 Good short-term buy Dependable and versatile defender/midfielder HIT* DIOMANSY KAMARA From Modena Fee: £1.5m Signed 26 July 2005 Age 24 Exciting striker but often fails to provide end product MISS* NATHAN ELLINGTON From Wigan Fee: £3m Signed 14 Aug 2005 Age 24. Age 19.Doing little to justify his move as has not featured much But the midfielder does have time on his side MISS* KIERAN RICHARDSON From Man Utd Fee: Loan Signed 29 Jan 2005 Age 20 His form, on loan at Albion, won him an England place But then chose to return to United HIT* DARREN CARTER From Birmingham Fee: £1.5m Signed 4 July 2005 Age 21. Four goals in 22 games might not sound impressive, but his experience helped to keep Albion in the Premiership HIT* RICHARD CHAPLOW From Burnley Fee: £1.5m Signed 31 Jan 2005. There is a great deal from the life of Bryan to be crammed into the new autobiography but the task that absorbs him the most will be the next 17 Premiership games and the job of keeping his club in the Premiership.Managing on a shoestring: How Robson has fared in the bargain basement* KEVIN CAMPBELL From Everton Fee: Free Signed 11 Jan 2005 Age at time 34. He still meets up for lunch in a pub near the training ground with former Albion players Tony Brown, Alistair Robertson, Cyrille Regis and Brendan Batson to talk about old times Steve Bruce, Paul Ince and Roy Keane stay in touch. They had told him after that performance all the Manchester United players must be on drugs.”It is not just the 12 years at United that Robson remembers fondly, however. United’s 3-0 win was inspired by two goals from Robson, an evening he remembers just as much for a phone call that followed it.”Trevor Francis was playing for Sampdoria at the time,” he says, “and he phoned me up to say he had watched it with the Sampdoria players.