Wayne Rooney wants fans to lay off Cristiano Ronaldo,
insisting there is no problem with the Portuguese
winger.
Many England fans still apportion blame in Ronaldo's direction for
Rooney's sending off against Portugal in the World Cup quarter
finals this summer. The 21-year-old winger experienced a torrent of
abuse in his first game back for the Reds against Oxford in a
friendly. He can expect more of the same at away grounds throughout
the season.
Rooney says the incident is all in the past and is urging fans to
stop booing his United team-mate.
"I would rather he didn't get any stick," said Rooney. "You don't
want to see any player get booed. I am not going to lie, I was
disappointed with his involvement in the sending off. But that is
in the past now.
"I think he's big enough to deal with anything that comes his way.
You saw that the other night. Cristiano got booed but he still
scored two fantastic goals."
Rooneys explanation shows there is no lingering resentment between
the two players, which will please Sir Alex Ferguson and Uniteds
fans. But, as for opposition fans, the temptation to boo Ronaldo is
still likely to prove too strong.
"Unfortunately, whenever England don't do well in a World Cup or a
major tournament, people look for a scapegoat. This year, people
turned on Cristiano.
"But I like Cristiano, he added. Were good friends off the
pitch. There is no problem with him. Now, we are both playing for
Manchester United and trying to do our best for them."
http://www.manutd.com/default.sps?pagegid={B4CEE8FA-9A47-47BC-B069-3F7A2F35DB70}&newsid=353977&page=1