Rooney comes under fire from Pele as United close in on Berbatov

Pictured on one occasion with a cigarette in his hand and then on the receiving end of some rather harsh jibes about his weight, England’s most celebrated footballer arrived in Cape Town to learn that Pele has had something to say about his form.

‘I like Wayne Rooney,’ said the Brazil legend. ‘But he hasn’t reached the peak of Euro 2004 again. He had two or three very good years and then lost a little bit in his performances.

Rooney was substituted after losing his cool against the Kaiser Chiefs

I don’t know why. When he is tangling with opponents, Rooney has to learn how to defend himself, not attack the opponent. ‘Maybe that has something to do with it. If you can protect yourself against challenges, it will be easier to keep your temper.’

Watching Rooney huff and puff around the beautiful Newlands Stadium on Saturday
in Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with the Kaizer Chiefs, it was tempting to agree with Pele.

Given 69 minutes by his manager Sir Alex Ferguson, Rooney’s most notable contribution was to tangle persistently with Chiefs defender and captain Jimmy Tau.

Rooney looked close to losing his temper on several occasions but perhaps onlookers like Pele should consider it is this sense of drive that has propelled him to the top.

Wearing a long-sleeved jersey under his United shirt in the sun, Rooney was perhaps trying to sweat off a couple of excess ounces. But to suggest he looks fat is ridiculous.

Ferguson said: ‘Wayne is a born fighter. That is what he is. He does get frustrated in some games but we don’t want to take that away from him. He is learning to control himself.’

The manager has greater issues on his mind as he prepares a strategy to tempt Tottenham to sell Dimitar Berbatov.

After Spurs chairman Daniel Levy accused Ferguson of publicly courting the Bulgarian — something the United camp deny — the Old Trafford boss may ask his club’s lawyers to look at the comments.

That issue is bound to fade away but United’s interest in the player will not. An increased bid of £25million is expected in the coming days. 

Kaizer Chiefs went ahead on Saturday through a Jonathan Quartey penalty in the first half before Chris Eagles equalised with half an hour left.

United move on to Durban today where they meet Orlando Pirates tomorrow night.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo, currently in America, has fended off more questions about a move to Real Madrid, saying: ‘I don’t know about the future, only God knows it.’