MANCHESTER, England - Ruud van Nistelrooy has admitted that he has been taken by surprise by the speed with which Wayne Rooney has established himself as a pivotal performer for Manchester United.
The prodigious teenager has found the net 15 times in his first season at Old Trafford, despite frequently being asked to play on the left of midfield, and currently leads van Nistelrooy by three in United's 2004/05 scoring charts.
"Most players find their first season at a new club quite hard but Wayne doesn't seem to have had any problem dealing with it," van Nistelrooy told Manchester United TV.
"You really don't see people of his age with that kind of ability very often.
"He is strong, he can take people on and play in so many positions. He has played up front, on the left or right, in the hole or in midfield, it doesn't seem to matter. He has also scored more goals than he has ever done, which says a lot about him too."
03/16/2005 15:49 GMT