SAF talks about Rooney:
"As with any player of that age, playing is always going to be a learning process.
"What he has shown is that in almost every game he is getting chances, and is not afraid to strike balls from any distance, which is a great display of confidence in himself.
"He is a big-game player anyway - his form in the European Championships for England showed us that - and the games coming up are terrific games to be involved in.
"He is just naturally a big-game player, as Ronaldo is.
"Ronaldo proved that last year in the FA Cup semi-final against Arsenal and in the final itself.
"There is a thing about young players - they go on to a stage like Old Trafford with 67,000 people, and you wonder how they are going to cope.
"We have a good record with the young players we bring through in terms of having good temperaments, but with those you sign, you never know.
"We thought Cristiano would need a year, but right from the first game of last season he was at it, and progressed throughout the season. “You can see that progress with Wayne as well.
“Cristiano has been working hard on his finishing. He is getting into positions and in every game he is creating chances for himself, or getting them from someone else.
“There is a goalscorer in him, no question about that, now he just needs the breaks that everyone needs. I told him that the way it stands at the moment I will be collecting on our bet, unless he has a sudden spurt.
“Even if he does that, he pays me, but I don’t pay him – that is the way bets are conducted at this club!”
“He has become a really good team player. We tell any young players that they have to develop their game in all departments, whether it’s passing, dribbling, crossing, decision-making, which is a really important part of the game nowadays, and being a team member.
“You look at the great players like Alfredo di Stefano, Pele, Johan Cruyff, they were all great team players. Their work ethic demanded that.”