Wayne Rooney has given an insight into the extreme lengths he went to for Man United, often playing through the pain barrier.
The club legend, now 40, was known for his mental and physical toughness and has lifted the lid on how Sir Alex Ferguson expected him to take pain-killing injections to play through nasty injuries.
Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, Rooney explained: ‘I remember playing against Bayern Munich (2010) where I turned up on crutches in my car, the team had come on the bus.
‘I went into the dressing room to wish the players good luck and ended up starting the game.’ Co-host Mark Goldbridge then asked how that extraordinary turn of events came to pass.
Rooney added: ‘Because Fergie asked me to inject it to play. I injected it, I had to come off at half time. Took my boot off at half time and my ankle had gone up like that.’
The former striker was asked about United’s current injury issues and Bruno Fernandes’ persistent minor issue.
Wayne Rooney, pictured after the Bayern Munich game in 2010, injected his ankle to play through the pain barrier for Man United
He went on: ‘He strikes me as someone who wants to play every game, I was exactly the same. I don’t have any issue with him wanting to play for Portugal.
‘If it was an issue where there was no way he could then play for Man United for the next few weeks that would be different but it looks like an injury he’s trying to manage. I’ll be honest, 90 percent of the time in the Premier League you’re managing an injury, you’re playing with something that’s uncomfortable.
‘I think it’s refreshing that players want to play more and I don’t think we should be judging players because they want to play, it’s a good thing. With the Nations League now there’s games players can miss anyway.’
United are suffering with a number of injury concerns, with Benjamin Sesko suffering with a shin problem, Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford not fit enough for international duty and Fernandes nursing his knock.
It is a concern for Michael Carrick, who has overseen a poor start to the campaign, with two draws, two defeats and a solitary victory.
Rooney was also asked about Man City being found guilty of the vast majority of their charges and whether he would accept a retrospective Premier League title win.
‘I have heard Rio has come out saying about getting another Premier League medal… I wouldn’t really feel comfortable accepting another Premier League medal, if I’m being honest,’ he said.
‘I don’t think we deserve it, we didn’t do enough that season to win the league. I think we were six or seven points clear with four or five games to go and we threw it away.’
‘I’ve seen everything that has come out over the past few days and listening to people and I was putting myself in a Man City player’s shoes… they’re players, they’re doing everything they can to try and win the Premier League title and in their mind they have done it, if those players have no understanding of what is going on above them, if that happened to me… I would be absolutely devastated.
‘It might happen, they might take them [medals] away, but I wouldn’t want it [a medal] because I don’t think as a team we deserved it that year because obviously we didn’t finish first.’
