Wayne Rooney 'ignores' Cristiano Ronaldo when naming greatest Manchester United partner

11.02.2022 - 20:43 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Wayne Rooney has picked Carlos Tevez as his favourite Manchester United partner - ignoring Cristiano Ronaldo.

For two seasons between 2007 and 2009, that particular trio sent shivers down the spine of every Premier League defender before Tevez and Ronaldo departed Old Trafford during the same transfer window.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo scaled even greater heights with Spanish giants Real Madrid.

However, while there was understanding for that switch, Tevez signing for neighbours Manchester City resulted in heavy criticism for the Argentine - and Rooney admits that he was devastated to lose a player who complemented him most in a United shirt.

When asked to name his greatest United teammate, Rooney promptly told LADbible: "Tevez!

"I just loved the way, our connection, the two of us up front, we complemented each other really well.

"Normally, if I played with Louis Saha or [Ruud] van Nistelrooy or Robin [van Persie], these strikers were always the number nine and I played as a number 10 or a bit deeper.

"But with Tevez, we could rotate, so I'd be the nine, then he'd take the nine spot. I'd be 10 and we'd rotate, but then when we'd lose the ball, we'd just be running around like two pit-bulls trying to get it back. So he was the one really as a strike partner I enjoyed playing with most."

On his controversial move to City, he added: "I was devastated, because I enjoyed playing with him that much and I knew something was going on. There was the issue with his ownership, in terms of who owned him, whether it was the club, whether it was his agent. It was actually very cheap to buy him.

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"And for whatever reason, we didn't buy him.

"City got