Wayne Rooney made his first appearance as a pundit on Monday Night Football, and didn’t disappoint.
Rooney was in excellent form on his debut on the Sky Sports show, coming across as intelligent, articulate and honest. The former England captain is already better than many football pundits on British television.
He provided interesting analysis on his old team Manchester United, on Premier League leaders Manchester City and on comparisons between the Liverpool front-three of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, and the United front-three he formed with Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo.
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See Rooney on MNF on Sky Sports PL now or follow what he says here: https://t.co/U9av7f4CWv pic.twitter.com/yr4UMJmrmx
— Sky Sports Retro (@SkySportsRetro) February 5, 2018
Following Chelsea’s 4-1 loss to Watford, the Everton forward reflected on his career to date, telling some great stories from his time at United, England and his first spell with Everton.
This didn't take long at all, did it? https://t.co/O9okG1n7v2
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) February 5, 2018
Rooney said towards the end of the show that he would like to become a manager when he retires, but he could become an excellent football pundit if he doesn’t end up in the dugout.
His appearance received widespread praise on Monday night, with many agreeing that the former United captain showed a different side to himself than we had previously witnessed in his post-match interviews.
One of the best @SkySportsMNF I can remember! @WayneRooney fantastic & a great game as well!!
— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) February 5, 2018
Wayne Rooney on Monday Night Football: fascinating, and full of insights, as he always was, in person. A coup for Sky to show him that way.
— Paul Hayward (@_PaulHayward) February 5, 2018
Really impressive contribution from Wayne Rooney on Monday Night Football. Honest and enlightening. Good balance between in-depth analysis and light-hearted stories.
— Melissa Reddy (@MelissaReddy_) February 5, 2018
Just watching @Carra23 and @WayneRooney on catch up. Absolutely brilliant. Carra has grown into a proper TV presence and Rooney – as some of us knew – is brighter and sharper than the snobs think. He’ll be a great analyst when he retires
— Tony Evans (@TonyEvans92a) February 6, 2018
Wayne Rooney superb on MNF. That’s about as lucidly as I’ve seen him talk about his career. Some great insights (Tevez favourite strike partner, tear in his eye when he broke the England record, Fergie team talks etc.).
— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) February 5, 2018
Wayne was brilliant. Which probably surprised a lot of people. Looked more relaxed than he ever has.
— David Preece (@davidpreece12) February 6, 2018
If you haven’t watched @SkySportsMNF worth catching up with, just for the last hour alone. Great stuff with @WayneRooney, proper football talk ⚽️
— Dominic King (@DominicKing_DM) February 5, 2018
https://twitter.com/KellyCates/status/960652687711916033