Chelsea’s Frank Lampard on England teammate, Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney: “He’s a lad’s lad”
Chelsea star Frank Lampard has come out in defence of his compatriot Wayne Rooney and has
played down criticism about the Manchester United forward that labels him “lazy and thick”.
Rooney’s passion of the game may sometimes turn things against him, and his personality be
deemed volatile. However, Lampard has revealed the true personality of Wayne Rooney and has said that people who don’t know the player should not comment on him.
Frank said, “He's a very social lad. He crosses all the boundaries of factions within a squad
that you always have, not in a bad way but there's always slight little groups and different teams when you turn up with England. From that very early stage, he flitted between everyone and had a mini-friendship with everyone. People who call him thick - it's
just a lazy thing to say. He's sharp. The people who call him thick have a certain element of thickness about them. How can you call someone thick who you've never met?"
Rooney’s new 5-year contract with Manchester United has made him one of the highest earning
footballers in England, but Lampard believes Wayne is still a humble lad, and insists the Rooney he knows is nothing like the public preconceptions that have been built up around him.
The Chelsea midfielder said, “Some people like to align themselves to the bigger names in
the squad, to speak to certain players or stick to their own little group. Wayne talks to David Beckham the same as he would to a new player who's just come into the squad from Stoke or Bolton, and that's the beauty of him I think as a person. He’s got a great
sense of humour. I love being around people who will make me laugh, and he makes you laugh constantly. When you're sat at a dinner table with 20 people he can dominate the conversation just through wit and the confidence in the way he speaks.”
Chelsea’s vice-captain also remembers Rooney’s first call for the England squad, and says
that the young 17-year-old made an instant impression on him. Despite Wayne’s young age, Frank admitted that the lad from Liverpool had the talents of being one of the greatest footballers, and compared him to the likes of Paul Gascoigne and Gianfranco Zola.
Rooney is currently nursing his ankle injury while staying in the United States and is expected
to be back in action for United in December this year.
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