Zlatan Ibrahimovic says Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney is “the perfect player” and deserves more respect, after the England captain broke the club’s European goalscoring record in a 4-0 win over Feyenoord.
Rooney, 31, scored his 39th European goal as United won to ensure a point in their final group game at Zorya Luhansk will take them into the last 32 of the Europa League.
It comes after Rooney, who is one goal away from matching Sir Bobby Charlton’s club-record 249 goals, defended himself following criticism of his late night while on England duty.
“He is a fantastic person,” Ibrahimovic, who assisted Rooney’s chipped opener, told BBC Sport. “I am happy he broke the record. But I will help him to go one more. That I see as the real record.”
“I think when you are famous like that, people are interested. They want to know everything.
“We should appreciate him for the player he is, what he did. I don’t see many players from England who have had the same career as him. They should show more respect for him. Everybody wants to make a little thing a big thing.”