WAYNE ROONEY has revealed he had to deliberately rip his shirt ahead of his Manchester United debut – as his neck couldn’t fit through the hole.
The former Everton whiz made his debut for the Red Devils in a 2004 Champions League clash with Fenerbahce.
Rooney scored a hat-trick and laid on an assist in a 6-2 win following his £25.6million move from Goodison Park that summer, all the while wearing a ripped jersey due to his thick neck.
Looking back at his Champions League debut, Rooney – speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s Between The Lines – recalled: “I remember just thinking, ‘I’m ready’.
“I’d come off the back of Euro 2004, where I’d done well.
“You see that rip in my shirt there? I had to rip it because my neck wouldn’t fit in the shirt!
“That’s the only reason I ripped the shirt.”
Looking back at his early days under Sir Alex Ferguson, Rooney added: “I spoke to the manager the weekend before this, against Middlesbrough, and I was desperate to be on the bench.
“He just said, ‘Wayne, you’re going to start against Fenerbahce in the Champions League’.
“I remember thinking ‘I just can’t wait’.
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“I was ready, I was confident and believed I was going to score. Did I think I’d score three? No.”
When quizzed by Ferdinand, Rooney admitted he was a bit nervous, revealing: “The big thing for me was going to Manchester United as a Scouser.
“I knew I had to impress. Somehow I have to leave an impact on the game and get the fans to like me.”
Derby boss Rooney also revealed he used Marcus Rashford – who also joined Ferdinand for the interview – as inspiration for keeping his Rams in the Championship.
The Midlands side only survived relegation with a final-day 3-3 draw against Sheffield Wednesday.
And Rooney revealed he had to call up a few unknown youngsters to fill an injury void during their run-in, recalling Rashford’s explosive debut against Midtjylland in 2016.
Rooney explained: “Marcus’ story from getting in the first team I actually used it a couple of weeks ago.
“We’ve had injuries at Derby, and I put a few of the young lads on the bench who hadn’t even trained with us so I used Marcus’ story from that.
“Marcus came in from nowhere, didn’t really train with us, come in, and impact and look where’s he’s gone on from that.
“So for those players to try and follow in those footsteps when you get that chance, it’s up to you then to take it, and he’s certainly done that.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
