Rooney Can Be World's Best No 9 - Ferdinand

Anyone who doubted Wayne Rooney's predatory instincts will still be working their way through a hearty serving of humble pie after his exploits in Yokohama on Thursday night.

Manchester United were in the midst of a thrilling Club World Cup semi-final against Gamba Osaka, when the England forward was introduced with less than 20 minutes remaining.

Two goals later, and the 23-year-old had steered the Red Devils to a 5-3 victory over the Asian champions and booked a spot in the final against Ecuador's LDU Quito.

But it was perhaps the manner of Rooney's strikes which was most intriguing, as they typified his new role in Sir Alex Ferguson's set-up - i.e. more an out-and-out striker than a deep-lying, playmaking forward.

And Rio Ferdinand, for one, believes his international colleague has what it takes to become the most lethal center-forward on the face of the earth.

He said in The Sun: “He is playing more like a No 9. He could easily be the best No 9 in the world. He has more tools in his game than any other No 9.

“I have every confidence in him. It is just about him being given the time to do that. I am sure he will be able to put it into practice.

“The manager has asked him this season to be more of a player who runs through. He has the pace, strength and nose for where to run to be a threat in behind.”

However, Ferdinand admitted that Rooney must develop a greedy streak before he can become a truly world-class striker.

The centre-back said: “He has to be more selfish if he wants to score 25-30 goals a season. With Wayne, we see in training how difficult he is to play against.

“If he continues to keep working in the right areas, and being more selfish, then he has the capability to be top scorer in the Premier League.”

--Mike Maguire, Goal.com