Wayne Rooney has picked out the best 'all-rounder' from former England team-mates Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes.
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Rooney chooses 'all-round' best midfielderPlayed with Lampard, Gerrard & ScholesConsiders all three to be 'world class'WHAT HAPPENED?
Answering 53 questions from Gary Neville about his life and career on , Rooney revealed his admiration for Gerrard's ability to do just about anything on a football pitch. It is that which set him apart from Lampard or Scholes, who were "world class" in other ways.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Football fans are still arguing about who was England's best midfielder of the fabled 2000s golden generation. Rooney, having been part of that team and played with all three regularly for England, as well as with or against them at club level, is better placed that most to settle the debate.
Getty ImagesWHAT ROONEY SAID
Rooney said: "Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are all different. As an all-rounder, Stevie is the best; he can defend, pass the ball, run, tackle, score goals, set pieces. As an all-rounder he's the best from that point of view.
"From a goalscoring point of view, Lamps was the best. The goals he scored were incredible from midfield and technically he wasn't at Stevie or Scholesy's level but there was no-one better at scoring goals from midfield.
"Scholesy, the way he adapted [made him amazing]. He was a striker when he was younger so to go to a ten, then midfield then a deeper midfielder dictating the game, I don't think either of the other two could dictate a game the way he could.
"All were world-class players. Stevie could come to Manchester United and be a top player and do what Scholes could do. But I don't think Scholes could do what Stevie did at Liverpool."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ROONEY?
Following his ill-fated spell at Birmingham City, Rooney spent just shy of five months out of football before being appointed new Plymouth Argyle boss over the weekend. Plymouth will begin the EFL Championship in 2024-25 after narrowly avoiding relegation, at Birmingham's expense, on the final day of 2023-24.