Charlton : Rooney Destined for Greatness

Sir Bobby Charlton is convinced Wayne Rooney is destined to be remembered as a Manchester United legend.

It is not even 18 months since Rooney arrived at Old Trafford from Everton, yet already he has established himself as a key figure in Sir Alex Ferguson's side.

Apart from a series of spectacular goals, the England forward has proved to be virtually unstoppable at times and the only minor complaints with his overall performances have been a couple of ineffective Champions League displays.

Certainly, he gets Charlton's pulse racing in a manner no other young player can do, reminding the World Cup winner of his old team-mates George Best and Denis Law.

"Just like George and Denis, Wayne gets me off my seat when he gets the ball and there are not many players who can do that," Charlton told MUTV.

"He is such a marvellous player to watch, yet it all seems so effortless.

"I am so pleased we have him at Manchester United. There is no question he will go on to become one of the great players. He has a God-given talent and you can just see how much he loves the game."

For all the talk of crisis around Old Trafford in the wake of United's stunning Champions League exit in Lisbon earlier this month, the problems cannot be so acute for a club who can count on Rooney's services.

Although he admits the unexpected European demise was a disaster, Charlton believes some of the criticism heaped on the Red Devils in the wake of that fateful defeat to Benfica, particularly the personal abuse directed towards Sir Alex Ferguson, was unwarranted.

"The criticism of Sir Alex has been quite unfair," Charlton told MUTV.

"He has done the best he could with the players he has had.

"In some ways, you could say the transfer window has worked against him because it has stopped him trying to solve a problem.

"But he is still a great manager and motivator and if you took away Chelsea, we would not be doing too badly at all.

"It is a disaster we are not in Europe but I have no worries about Sir Alex Ferguson or the future of Manchester United."