Booed United star Rooney lauds ‘fantastic’ Ferguson

LONDON - Agence France-Presse

Ferguson (R) talks to Rooney after his last home game as United manager.

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney yesterday praised the retiring Alex Ferguson as a “fantastic manager,” just days after the veteran Scottish boss revealed that the striker had submitted a transfer request.

No sooner had the Premier League champions defeated Swansea 2-1 on Sunday to bring down the curtain on Ferguson’s final home match after more than 26 years in charge, than he said England international Rooney wanted to leave Old Trafford.

New United manager David Moyes meanwhile lauded Rooney as “one of the best players in the world” -- an indication the man who gave the player his professional debut when they were both at Everton might want him to stay with the Red Devils.

Ferguson was given a rapturous send-off by a 75,000 crowd on May 12 and the adulation continued the next day when he took centre stage during am open top bus parade to Manchester Town Hall to celebrate the 13th Premier League title of the Scot’s United reign.

‘Fitting tribute’

The only sour note came when some fans booed Rooney as he took his place on the bus, clearly unhappy the star wants to leave.

Rooney, speaking to MUTV, tried to play down any talk of a rift between with Ferguson, saying the former Aberdeen manager deserved all the plaudits he received during the parade.

“It is a fitting tribute to the manager after so long and so much success. As much as it is for the team, it’s for the manager, for what he has achieved and what he has done to this football club. He deserves everything he has got,” Rooney said.

“He has been brilliant for us all. He is a great manager, he is successful and he is a winner. To do it for so long is incredible, he is a fantastic manager.”