Man Utd transfer news LIVE: Vidic claims Rooney ‘failed’ compared to Ronaldo, Gavi transfer plans, takeover latest

Vidic on Rooney and Ronaldo

Manchester United icon Nemanja Vidic has claimed Wayne Rooney has failed compared to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Vidic played alongside both players at Old Trafford and saw their careers develop from a young age.

The former United captain was full of praise for Ronaldo and the dedication he showed to improve and succeed in the game.

And he believes Rooney had the talent to match, but lacked Ronaldo’s mentality in terms of taking care of his body and working overtime on the training ground.

Appearing on Rio Ferdinand’s Vibe with Five podcast, Vidic said, “You see Cristiano [Ronaldo] It’s all flashy stuff on Instagram, but he deserves it.

“At his age of 18, 19, 21, to have that mentality of working hard, not going out, fighting for his dream like he did, he deserves everything he got. For me, Wayne Rooney, he failed that.

“He’s the one I think could do a lot more if he was closer to Cristiano Ronaldo in mentality. That’s definitely my feeling.”

“Physically he was fantastic, also technically. He’s a great teammate on the pitch, he and Carlos Tevez, as a defender you want them on the pitch, they’ve worked hard for the team.

“In one moment they are similar, the same. What took Cristiano Ronaldo much higher was his mentality to change, to work hard, to improve, to have goals.

“I’m not saying Wayne didn’t have a mentality, but he just bet on his talent. He hasn’t invested in his body, in extra training, the physical side.”