Liverpool vs Manchester United: Jurgen Klopp backs troubled Wayne Rooney, saying ‘he’s not finished, he’s still a danger’
Klopp's Reds take on United in crunch Premier League clash on Monday night at Anfield, but will Rooney start?
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WAYNE ROONEY has been given welcome support just when he needs it most.
And from the unlikeliest of sources.
For Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp insists the sidelined striker remains a world-class star.
Klopp is well aware that Anfield bosses are not supposed to talk up talent from Manchester United.
Especially not when the sides are on a collision course for what will be one of the most decisive games of the season on Monday night.
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Yet the outspoken German has happily broken with tradition to praise the 30-year-old.
Rooney, despite being Old Trafford captain, may well start on the bench for a third successive league game under Jose Mourinho.
The United boss yesterday offered the player no solace.
But Klopp believes that if the Special One relents and puts the sidelined striker back in his side at Anfield he will be a big danger.
He declared: “I know a lot about what people are thinking of Rooney at this moment.
“But I cannot think the same things even though as manager of Liverpool FC, I’m not allowed to like players from United.”
Some may believe bespectacled Klopp is being kind to the sidelined Scouser.
After all Rooney has managed only one goal in ten appearances for United this season.
And some sections of England’s support jeered him in the 2-0 Wembley win over Malta a week ago.
But Klopp refuses to jump on the boo-boy bandwagon and does not believe his Old Trafford rivals think for a minute that Rooney is over the hill.
Klopp said: “If you are asking me if Mourinho is blind about Rooney’s abilities, I say you are wrong.
“The same for Gareth Southgate with England. They know his quality and that his goal threat is still there.
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“Rooney’s situation is something that can happen to anyone in their career — and he has had a very long and very decent career.”
Klopp, the Premier League Manager of the Month, added: “The longer you are part of something, the more people know about you and the more people think they can say things about you.
“Yet he is 30-years-old, he is a goalscorer, he is still a world-class player and he is still a threat.
“From where I stand, world-class players are always a threat.
“And he can have a few nice years in his career yet.”
It is fair to say that Rooney has returned from the international break with his reputation battered and bruised.
And former England and Manchester United star Andy Cole knows just how he feels.
Despite his own goalscoring achievements at club level, Cole was never appreciated for England, winning only 15 caps and scoring once.
Speaking the launch of Marathonbet’s Manchester United online live casino, Cole said: “We should look at Rooney and value him for what he has done.
“He started playing when he was 16, 17. We should look at him, value him and say, ‘that’s fantastic’.
“As an English player playing at the highest level since 16 years of age, with all the pressure, to achieve what he has achieved, to score all the goals he has scored and to win the medals he has won — how can we turn around and say he is no longer good enough?
“If Wayne Rooney was at the peak of his powers, how many would have him in the England team? I don’t think anyone would question it.
“Why are we questioning him now because he has had a dip in form? I don’t understand it.”
Cole, 45 today, added: “Are we saying that England’s greatest goalscorer — who is also going to end up Man United’s top goalscorer — can no longer play the game anymore?”