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Wayne Rooney has admitted that it “hurts” him to acknowledge that Liverpool currently have the “best attacking unit in world football.”
The former Man Utd striker was part of the Red Devils’ deadly attacking trio in years past, along with Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez.
He later teamed up with Robin van Persie in another title-winning campaign, but Liverpool have long outclassed their rivals.
The fearsome three Reds forwards Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have led the Liverpool title this season, and Rooney believes they are the best in the business today.
Speaking in his column for The Times, Rooney described how he didn’t consider himself a “scorer” despite ranking second on the Premier League’s all-time charts.
(Image: offside via Getty Images)
He suggested that he was more of a creator, and claimed that he enjoyed setting goals for teammates like Van Persie and Ruud van Nistelrooy more than scoring himself.
Speaking about the Liverpool attackers, Rooney said: “I have been trying to explain how the score is often due to the players working together and Liverpool’s top three are the perfect example.”
“Salah and Sadio Mané provide the depth by pushing teams back, allowing Firmino to get into the ball, the opposition center backs relax and suddenly the other two make diagonal runs at an incredible rate to attack the space.
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“It reminds me of how Rome used to play with [Francesco] Totti as No.10 and two fast runners attacking the box from the width. It pains me to admit it, but Liverpool is the best attacking unit in world football right now. “
Among them, Salah, Mane and Firmino have scored 49 goals in all competitions this season, and a combined total of 26 assists.
The Brazilian Firmino is behind his attacking teammates in betting, but is slightly ahead in the goals created.
Rooney’s former teammate in England and former Liverpool striker Emile Heskey recently voiced his opinion on attack force and hailed Firmino as the top member.
“I think everything gels properly when he’s playing,” Heskey said 90min. “He is not necessarily concerned with ‘this is my job and I have to do this.’
“You see him chasing and tackling, you see him playing on the left wing and chasing the guy up and down. Then you will see him in front, grabbing the ball and holding it and attracting someone. It’s a different variety of things he does, he doesn’t just focus on ‘I must score goals.’ “
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