LONDON: Manchester United's Wayne Rooney on Tuesday 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 Sunday and the adulation continued Monday 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.
The only sour note came when some fans booed Rooney as he took his place on the bus, clearly unhappy the striker would want to leave.
Rooney, speaking to United's in-house television station 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."
Ferguson, who retires at the end of the season, dropped Rooney for the Swansea match and said the forward had not been in the right frame of mind to play. - AFP
