Friday 21 November 2014 12:45, UK
Former Manchester United assistant manager Steve Round believes Wayne Rooney will become a record-breaking goalscorer for his club and country.
Rooney is pursuing Sir Bobby Charlton on both of those fronts and is currently three behind Charlton for the national side and 30 short of his Old Trafford record of 249.
Round, who was assistant to David Moyes during his ill-fated tenure in charge at United, thinks the 29-year-old Rooney is adding a greater maturity to his game and can become a legend for both teams.
“I’ve seen him mature as a person and as a footballer,” Round told Sky Sports News HQ. “If you look at his record, he has to be an automatic pick for England.
“The only thing left for him is legacy - he’s won everything. He’s been injured in one or two tournaments and the team hasn’t hit the ground running.
“If he gets the chance on the world stage again, he will do us proud. He’s a terrific footballer and he could break every record.
“By the time he’s finished his career he could have every record in the bag and be one of the greatest players that has played for Manchester United and for England.”
Round’s former boss Moyes this week agreed to become manager at Spanish club Real Sociedad and while there was a conversation about the duo reuniting in La Liga, Round feels the time is right for him to become a manager in his own right.
Prior to his spell at Manchester United, the 44-year-old was on the coaching staff at Derby County, Middlesbrough, Newcastle United and Everton and feels he has a lot to offer as a head coach.
“I’m really pleased for David that he’s back in and he’s picked a club that is up and coming,” he said. “They’ve struggled a bit in the past six months but he’ll get them going and motivate them and get them more intense.
“We spoke about it and my career leads in a different path now. I’d like to go into management or being a head coach and he was really supportive of that.
“He said he’d help me all he could. You’ve got to get the opportunity to interview and speak to chairmen and sell yourselves in terms of what you can do for their football club.
If he gets the chance on the world stage again, he will do us proud. He’s a terrific footballer and he could break every record.
“When I see the right club for me, I’ll go for it. It’s about getting your name into the football club and presenting what you can do for them.
“I’ve worked in the Premier League for 20 years and with some top managers. There comes a stage when you’re a coach that you really need to test yourself on your own.
“When you’re a coach you’re not the key decision-maker and you can be on terms with the players and sympathise with them. When you’re the manager the buck stops with you and that’s the key difference.”
Although Round and Moyes were at Old Trafford for less than nine months, it remains a period of his career upon which he looks fondly.
“I enjoyed my time there,” he said. “It’s a terrific football club, a great arena and the inspiring thing for me was working with such top players.
“They would do what you asked them to do in training and their attitude was always first class. I’m glad I had that experience, it was something to behold.”
