Rooney is too young to be Manchester United captain says Fergie
21 Nov 2009 - 15:40:18
Wayne Rooney may have led out his country against Brazil in Doha last weekend, but Sir Alex Ferguson has told the Manchester United striker that he is not yet ready to captain his club.
The Old Trafford boss also risked opening up another rift in his uneasy relationship with the FA by criticising them for overexposing his player to the media spotlight while he is away on England duty.
Temporary post: Wayne Rooney was named England captain by Fabio Capello in the absence of more senior players
Rooney faces his old team Everton at Old Trafford on Saturday a much matured player compared to the teenager who left Goodison Park more than five years ago. Ferguson praised the qualities that could one day mark him as an automatic candidate for the captain's armband.
But although the 24-yearold has become a father for the first time and captained England, Ferguson does not believe he is old enough to be a United skipper.
'He's not in my thinking at the moment,' said Ferguson. 'I think Fabio Capello made him captain because he was the one regular player left. That was the key to it.
'He's young and I prefer older players. I've never been a real advocate of centre forwards being captain, either, unless you have someone like Eric Cantona, who would be an inspiration to the younger players.'
Disagreeing: But Rooney's club boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes he isn't yet ready to lead Manchester United
Ferguson added: 'You can see the qualities that Wayne would bring to the captaincy - his determination, his hunger, his desire to do well. So there are good reasons for making him captain.
'Top players can take that responsibility. They've got the ego, reputation and pride to defend in that respect. You don't want to let anyone down and Wayne would be like that.'
Even though Rooney was only England captain for the Brazil game, he has been put forward to face the media on the last three international dates. And Ferguson is angry that the FA have allowed his striker to be paraded in public so often when there are plenty of other candidates in Capello's squad.
He added: 'Every time England go on a trip, who gets on the television? Wayne Rooney. Every blinking time.
'He must get bored answering the same questions, but that's because of his sponsors and the FA. They love that kind of thing. But it's not fair on the same player continually having to go on television and do the Press.'
Having brought Rooney down to earth yesterday, Ferguson will once again leave Ben Foster on the sidelines after he played for his country in Doha.
He challenged a suggestion that Foster has suffered by dropping down to third-choice at United after the keeper admitted it had become 'disheartening'.
'Suffered?' snapped Ferguson. 'Did we cut his leg off or something?'
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