Gary Neville says Sir Alex Ferguson would scream at Wayne Rooney '15 to 20 times' for making same mistake

Gary Neville has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson would repeatedly 'have a go' at Wayne Rooney for doing the same thing in training at Manchester United.

Rooney was one of Ferguson's greatest ever players at United, playing a key role in helping the club to win 13 trophies during his time at Old Trafford.

One of the greatest goalscorers in Premier League history, Rooney was renowned for his work off the ball and link-up play, and his incredible passing ability that is rare to see in most centre forwards.

During his 764-game career, the England legend assisted 170 goals, to along with the 315 goals that he scored.

He was perhaps the Premier League's first complete forward, and it is no surprise that Ferguson ranks him as one of his greatest signings after he swooped to bring him in from Everton for a then British transfer record fee of £25.6 million in 2004.

But speaking on The Overlap's 'Stick to Football', United icon Neville has revealed that Ferguson wasn't always pleased with everything Rooney did - and picked up on one thing specifically during the latter half of his time at Old Trafford.

Neville explained: "I remember Sir Alex and Wayne Rooney, towards the end of his Manchester United career when Wayne started to drop in a bit, and he used to stop turning and running at people and stopped running behind.

"He became more of a link player, playing the long passes. That was one of the last things I remember.

"Sir Alex must have had a go at Rooney 15-20 times a season for the last few seasons about him dropping too deep.

"Sir Alex wanted Rooney to stay up front and turn at players and take the ball on the back foot, as those were the bits that made him more of a street footballer."

As Rooney began to draw his career to a close, he began playing in an attacking midfield role on a regular basis.

At his final club, Derby County, the England legend often played as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield, scoring five goals in 20 Championship games in his final completed season as a professional footballer.

Gary Neville was speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet.

Topics: Gary Neville, Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney, Premier League

Ryan Smart

Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.