Sir Alex Ferguson claims Wayne Rooney’s great qualities can be "swallowed up by a lack of fitness" in a no-holds-barred assessment of the Manchester United striker.
The former Old Trafford boss has opened up on the England’s talisman in his newly-published autobiography, explaining that the striker is “not the quickest learner” and that his condition can detrimentally affect his performances.
Sir Alex uses the example of when he dropped Rooney for a league match against Blackburn Rovers in December 2011 after being angered by the player’s display in training following a Boxing Day night out with team-mates Darron Gibson and Jonny Evans.
“They came into training the next day weary,” writes Sir Alex. “I went into the gymnasium where they were doing their exercise and told them they would be fined a week’s wages and not considered for selection against Blackburn on the Saturday.
“Wayne needed to be careful. He has great qualities about him but they can be swallowed up by a lack of fitness. Look at the way [Cristiano] Ronaldo or [Ryan] Giggs look after themselves. Wayne needed to grasp the nettle. If he missed a couple of weeks for United, it could take him four or five games to get his sharpness back.
