Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney has recounted a baffling tale from his time at the Red Devils with Netherlands star Memphis Depay.
Rooney recounted the story whilst appearing on BBC Sport’s coverage of Friday night’s Euro 2024 group game between the Netherlands and France, where his former team-mate was turning out for the Oranje.
The new Plymouth Argyle boss has spoken at length in the past about his attempts to give United’s dressing rooms a professional edge when he became one of the group’s leaders, but his face suggested Depay was a lost cause in this tale.
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Rooney, starting on a positive note with the BBC Sport panel, said: "Firstly, you could never knock his work rate. In training, he worked really hard every single day in order to prove himself.”
But it was the Atletico Madrid man’s antics off the pitch that produced Rooney’s harshest criticism and he recounted the moment he had hit his limit with the Dutchman.
"I was at a reserve game once being a bit lowkey, and he turned up in a Rolls Royce and a cowboy hat,” the former Three Lions forward said. “I had to speak to him.”
He didn’t divulge how those conversations went, but fashion restraint still isn’t the first thing you’d credit Depay with today.
Wayne Rooney once had to give Memphis Depay a talking to at a reserve game 🤣#BBCEuros #Euro2024 #NEDFRA pic.twitter.com/TgucU3WNeyJune 21, 2024
Eccentric tastes aside, Rooney still clearly rates the ability of the Dutch forward, stating to the BBC: “He was more of a winger at Manchester United and he's adapted, changed his game, his movement was fantastic. He's a threat [in front] of goal.
"He's probably a little inconsistent over the last few years, but I think he's a player the French team will have to keep an eye on because he's got ability."
Rooney covered the game alongside Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer and Cesc Fabregas from the temporary BBC Studio set against a backdrop of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.
In the end, Depay could not make his attacking threat pay, with Friday night’s game against Les Bleus ending in a stalemate at the Leipzig Arena.
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