Sir Alex Ferguson: Wayne Rooney Will Not Repeat England Feat With Manchester United

By Andrew Southwick

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney will have to be patient before he gets the chance to be club captain.

England manager Fabio Capello last week handed Rooney the armband for the friendly with Brazil in Qatar and despite Sir Alex Ferguson twice naming the 24-year-old as captain in Champions League games, he is unlikely to be permanent captain any time soon.

"I have never really been an advocate of centre-forwards being captain," Ferguson told the Press Association.

"You can see the qualities Wayne would give as a captain. He is determined, hungry and has a desire to do well.

"He always tries no matter how your team is playing. He will give 100 per cent.

"These are wonderful qualities for a captain. It exemplifies the spirit of the whole team and players can take that on board.

"But Wayne is not in my thinking to be captain at the moment because he is young and I prefer older players and I prefer midfielders or centre-backs."

One notable contradiction to Ferguson's captaincy criteria was of course Eric Cantona although the United boss accepts that the Frenchman was something of an exception to the rule.

"Cantona was a terrific captain for us because he imparted great experience to the young lads," he added.

"They loved him and he spent time with them after the game.

"His role as captain was a little bit different from a normal captain."