Roo is the greatest, declares Herrera

ANDER Herrera has declared Wayne Rooney England’s greatest ever player.

Rooney ended his final week as a twenty–something with a fine finish in Manchester United’s easy 3–0 win at Everton on Saturday.

Rooney’s 30th birthday next Saturday will provide pundits and commentators with a chance to assess the United and England captain’s career.

One opinion is that Rooney is past his best, that the striker has failed to live up to expectations since those early years when he blew Barclays Premier League defences away for fun.

The way in which he broke through the Everton defence and converted a slide–rule pass from Herrera suggests he still has lots to offer. And Spanish midfielder Herrera has no doubt he is playing alongside one of the all–time greats.

“Wayne is our leader. He is the best English player in English history and we are lucky to have him,” the United midfielder said. “When he fights like he did at Everton we can be very proud of him. He has always helped me a lot.”

Sir Alex Ferguson was loathe to field Rooney at Goodison Park due to the abuse he used to receive at the home of his boyhood club. The former United manager said he believed Rooney would always be regarded as a “traitor” for leaving Goodison for Old Trafford in 2004, but relations between the 29–year–old and the Everton supporters have thawed.

Rooney received a warm reception when he turned out in Everton blue for Duncan Ferguson’s testimonial in August. And on Saturday Rooney tempered his celebration after clipping the ball over Tim Howard to end a run of three straight defeats for United at Goodison.