Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney says that the club's newest pair of young stars have the talent to emulate what he and Cristiano Ronaldo did at the club.
The 30-year-old says that Anthony Martial and Memphis Depay, bought for a combined £60million over the summer, could form the kind of deadly bond that he enjoyed with Ronaldo before the Portuguese left for Real Madrid in 2009.
Rooney and Ronaldo won three Premier League titles and the Champions League, as well as getting to another European Cup final, before the latter left in a then-world record transfer fee after six years at Old Trafford.
Depay has struggled for form since his £24m move from PSV but teenager Martial, bought from Monaco for an initial £36m, has been excellent, scoring five goals in 10 matches.
“It is hard to say, obviously, but they are certainly two very good players who have lots of talent and ability,” Rooney, who has also been granted a testimonial at the club, told MUTV.
“If they keep learning and progressing like they are, then hopefully they will do what me and Ronaldo did back then. It would be great for the team if they can do that.
“The good thing is that they want to learn and that is good to see in young players. They haven’t come in and just done things the way they want to do them.
“They are doing things for the team and listening to what the manager is saying to them. I am sure under this manager they will learn a lot and that will help them become top, top players in the world.”
Rooney, who has struggled for form himself this season, has been especially impressed with the impact Martial has made since moving on deadline day.
“I think he has been incredible, how he has come over to Manchester and started the way he has,” Rooney continued. “Let’s not forget he is still a very young lad as well. To come over with his young family and start the way he has, he deserves a lot of credit.
“You can see what a good player he is and he’ll be an important player for us from now until the end of the season. He is probably the quickest player in our team, if not the quickest in the league.”
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