Man Utd hero Wayne Rooney is full of admiration for Man City (Picture: ESPN)
Wayne Rooney believes three of his Manchester United team-mates would have got in the current Manchester City team.
Pep Guardiola’s side have their sights set on a historic treble as they challenge for the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.
Manchester City are currently one point above Premier League title rivals Arsenal and face Spanish giants Real Madrid in the semi-finals of the Champions League this week.
Next month – with the league title potentially wrapped up – City face Manchester rivals United in a mouth-watering FA Cup final.
Such is Rooney’s admiration for Man City, he concedes Manchester United’s celebrated 2007-08 side would likely have come up short against the current Premier League leaders.
However, the Old Trafford legend believes three of his former United team-mates would have been ‘perfect’ for Manchester City, and says Guardiola would have found a place for him too.
‘Could the 2008 Manchester United team have competed with Man City? Head to head, we’d have had a good chance but over a 38-game season they would have had the edge,’ Rooney told The Times.
Manchester City are challenging for a historic treble (Picture: Getty)
‘I think we’d have been similar to Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool, able to beat them in one-off games but usually just a bit behind them in the final league table.
‘There were players in our team who would have got into this City side. Paul Scholes would have been perfect, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic too.
‘I believe I would have fitted into it as well – and I would have loved to play with Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland.’
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Rooney also believes this Manchester City team will go down as one of the best in Premier League history if they clinch the treble.
He added: ‘If they win the Champions League and the title, much as it pains me, I think you’d have to put City up there with United’s 1999 treble winners as the best Premier League team of all time.
‘Our 2008 United team were also a great side but the way City dominate opponents and make it look so easy, so often – while constantly fighting on all fronts – is beyond what we did.
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‘Of course, City have won nothing yet this season and still have to get over the line so let’s leave the big judgments until they do.
‘But my reason for saying that they have the potential to be up there with the greatest is that another Premier League title would be their fifth in six seasons and they have raised the bar for everyone else.
‘All United fans, myself included, have to look at what Guardiola’s City are doing and understand the extraordinary level that our club will have to reach to be No 1 again.’
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‘There were players who would have got into this Man City side.’