Wayne Rooney voices Sir Alex Ferguson concern about next Manchester United manager

Wayne Rooney has hailed former boss Sir Alex Ferguson as the “godfather” of Manchester United but believes his continued presence at the club brings added pressure to new managers.

The Evertonian striking great was brought to Old Trafford by Sir Alex in 2004 and went on to become the club’s all-time scorer with 253 goals. Together they lifted five league titles, a Champions League and three League Cups at Old Trafford.

Rooney, now Derby County’s head coach, spoke of his admiration for Ferguson when appearing on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football. He gave an assessment on the legendary Scot's exit from United after a 26-year reign and the aftermath that followed.

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“I think he was the godfather of the club not in terms of just the players, but the academy and the staff and when you lose someone like that at the club, it is hard to replace and a massive change,” he said.

“I thought that David Moyes had an impossible task of taking over Sir Alex Ferguson and you could see that’s what they were trying to do with David by giving him a six-year contract but it didn’t work out.

“Even though we won the Premier League that season, you could see everyone was down, even the more senior players because they knew that he was gone.”

After his retirement, Ferguson became a United club director and global ambassador, and still attends every game he is able to. Rooney noted that can add a tense dynamic when new bosses arrive at Old Trafford. The club are searching for a new permanent manager to take over in the summer, with Erik ten Hag leading the race after holding talks with the board.

Rooney urged whoever takes the United hot-seat to