The Red Devils defender enjoyed his time playing with a striker who received an enviable haul of trophies and shattered endless exceptional records.
Wayne Rooney has not received the recognition he deserves for a being a “sporting great” and the record goalscorer for each Manchester United and England, says Phil Jones.
A place among the modern-day greats has been nailed down by a man presently on the books at Derby.
Having burst onto the scene as an exciting 16-year-old and gone on to reach the very top of the game, Rooney’s standing in the global sport is without question.
At Old Trafford, he will continuously be idolised as one of the best frontmen to ever represent the Red Devils, scoring 253 goals for the club, whilst a further fifty three efforts came in the colors of England.
Jones, though, is amongst those who believe that Rooney’s brilliance is not always given the credit it deserves, with the 34-year-old approaching the end of a profession that would be the envy of many.
The current United defender told MUTV of his former team-mate: “He’s a sporting great, not just for Manchester United, however for soccer itself.
“I think his achievements were overshadowed and under-appreciated a bit.
“I don’t think he got the recognition he should have got considering he was England’s record goalscorer, all the goals he scored for United, and the trophies he won.
“He was fantastic and when he was doing this for England and United people nevertheless questioned him. But I think now people absolutely do appreciate what he did for United and football.”
Jones, who savoured Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League successes alongside Rooney, added: “I had a truely accurate relationship with Wayne.
“When I first signed he helped me a lot and we grew to become good friends.
“Now, if I’ve got some thing to speak about, he’s someone who I’d like to think I could pick up the telephone and speak to.
“I’m positive he’s going to go into management as well. He’s a superb guy and he’s just a normal, hard-working family guy.”
Rooney, who left United to return to Everton in 2017, is back in English soccer after taking in a short spell with MLS side D.C. United.
A player-coach role is being filled at Derby, with the intention being to comply with the likes of ex-England colleagues Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard into high-profile managerial posts .
