Wayne Rooney is quicker than Manchester United stars Paul Pogba, Memphis Depay and Juan Mata
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JOSE MOURINHO says he is too slow, but Wayne Rooney remains one of the speed kings in the Manchester United squad.
The Red Devils boss axed his striker for Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal.
That followed revelations of Rooney enjoying a booze bender a week earlier while on England duty, which the Three Lions captain was forced to apologise for last week.
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United chief Mourinho claimed his decision to drop the frontman at the weekend was due to his lack of pace rather than his drinking session.
He said: “I believed [Juan] Mata, [Anthony] Martial and [Marcus] Rashford were faster than Wayne, better attacking opponents one to one in the last line. I thought it was the best option.”
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But the Special One is wrong, as SunSport can reveal.
Stats released on Monday actually confirm that Rooney is FASTER than Mata.
And even more surprisingly, his top speed this season has been quicker than the world’s most-expensive player Paul Pogba.
Even quick-fire forward Memphis Depay, renowned for his pace, trails Rooney in the speed stakes.
As you can see from the table, crocked defender Eric Bailly has been clocked at the quickest speed for United this term, reaching 21.65mph.
Marcus Rashford is a close second at 21.39 while Luke Shaw is third at 20.98mph.
Rooney is joint-tenth in the list, but it is still an impressive feat considering the personal below him.
So Jose, tell us another one.