"Best player on the pitch" - Wayne Rooney heaps praise on 'outstanding' Liverpool and Manchester United target
Former England striker Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on Liverpool and Manchester United target Adam Wharton. He singled out the young midfielder for praise following Crystal Palace's 3-0 win against Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final.
Crystal Palace have made it to the FA Cup final with a fantastic 3-0 win against Unai Emery's Aston Villa side on Saturday, April 26. Eberechi Eze opened the scoring for the Eagles (31') while Ismaila Sarr (58', 90+4') scored a brace for Oliver Glasner's side as they booked their place at Wembley.
Wayne Rooney lavished praise on Adam Wharton following Crystal Palace's victory against Aston Villa. He insisted that attackers might get the spotlight but the 21-year-old was the best player on the pitch. The ex-England striker told BBC One, as quoted by Metro:
"Attacking players get a lot of the credit, but Adam Wharton was outstanding. His commitment and winning the ball back – I thought he was the best player on the pitch. I think Palace were by far the better team but the atmosphere in the air is incredible. They fully deserve to go to the final."
Rooney added:
"Hopefully they can go on and win it. The FA Cup final is a massive thing. It is massive for everyone. It is a great occasion and the Palace fans have had a great day out and they get to do it again."
Adam Wharton has been a revelation since joining Crystal Palace during the winter transfer window in 2024. He made the transition from the Championship to the Premier League effortlessly and even broke into the England side in the Euros.
The tenacious midfielder has missed 17 games this season with a groin injury but has returned to his best since his return. He cost Crystal Palace only £22 million and is now valued at £70 million, as per reports.
Wharton's exploits for Crystal Palace has seen him attract interest from some of the top clubs in England and Europe. Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have been named as his admirers while Real Madrid have also been credited with interest.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville claims Liverpool are now the most successful PL club
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has admitted that it is no longer a debate whether Liverpool are the biggest club in English football. Manchester United and Liverpool have shared a fierce rivalry over the years with both fanbases labelling their beloved clubs as the most successful in England.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool's game against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, April 27, Gary Neville opened up on the debate. The Manchester United great admitted that the Reds are undoubtedly the biggest club in English football. The former England full-back told Sky Sports, as quoted by GOAL:
"It's a massive deal. When you think of the league title and the importance of the league title, you think of the great managers that Liverpool have had in Shankly and Paisley, Kenny Dalglish, Joe Fagan, and at United as well, talking about the importance of your bread and butter being the league title."
Neville added:
"The accolade of the most successful club, you could debate it, maybe when Manchester United were on 20 titles and obviously Liverpool do have more European Cups but once Liverpool get level with Manchester United, the painful thing to say is that unfortunately the debate is over until Manchester United become successful again and win leagues."
He concluded:
"It should cause real tremors over at Old Trafford, the idea that Liverpool, which is obviously a great football club and now the most successful club and will be after today, in English football, that really should cause heartache and pain. It took a lot to get ahead of Liverpool, they were miles ahead when Sir Alex Ferguson took over."
Liverpool and Manchester United are now level on 20 league titles but the Reds have been much more successful in Europe. They have six Champions Leagues compared to the Red Devils' three.
