Rooney Believes He

By Max Wise

Wayne Rooney insists he still has the qualities required to play in the English Premier League.

The 33-year-old former Manchester United and Everton striker played for 16 seasons in the English top flight from 2002 to 2018, scoring 208 goals in 491 Premier League appearances before joining Major League Soccer side, DC United in June 2018.

Rooney’s move to DC United represented a major upturn in fortune for the side as his 12 league goals catapulted them from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to seal a playoff spot.

While some may think that the player is itching to the climax of his illustrious career, the player has different thoughts as he claims to have the strength to play in Europe and England especially.

"If I'm being honest, I know quality-wise, I can still play in the Premier League," he told CNN Sport.

"I know that. I've always been a confident person, and so I have high expectations of myself.

"And yeah, I've come here expecting to do well. And I think there was a surprise from people who have their opinions, which is fair enough, but I never doubted myself at all."

Rooney, who is England’s all-time leading goalscorer with 53 goals, also gave his take on the current managerial situation at Manchester United and thinks Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino should be given the nod if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fails to land the role full-time.

"Ole Gunnar's a fantastic person," said Rooney.

"I think the club will have a decision to make at the end of the season, and it'd be nice to see Ole continue with this form and get a shot at the job on a permanent basis.

"But if not, if the club goes to choose someone else, then I think in my opinion Pochettino would be the right guy."