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| Zlatan Ibrahimovic assisted Wayne Rooney's opener and Rooney set up Mata for the second. Reuters |
Zlatan Ibrahimovic says
Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney is "the perfect player" and
deserves more respect, after the England captain broke the club's
European goalscoring record in a 4-0 win over Feyenoord.
Rooney,
31, scored his 39th European goal as United won to ensure that a point
in their final group game at Zorya Luhansk will take them into the last
32 of the Europa League.
It comes after Rooney, who is one goal
away from matching Sir Bobby Charlton's club record of 249 goals,
defended himself following criticism of his conduct while on England duty.
"He
is a fantastic person," Ibrahimovic, who assisted Rooney's opener, told
BBC Sport. "I am happy he broke the record. But I will help him to go
one more. That I see as the real record."
Rooney apologised last week for "inappropriate" pictures of him at a
wedding at the national team's hotel during the international break.
But
on Saturday he said the reporting showed "a lack of respect", adding:
"It feels as if the media are trying to write my obituary."
He was
annoyed to be asked about it again after the Feyenoord game, saying:
"All that's created by people like yourself asking questions, making a
big deal out of nothing.
"I didn't set foot in the wedding and it's a shame to have to speak about it on nights like this."
Ibrahimovic said: "I think when you are famous like that, people are interested. They want to know everything.
"We
should appreciate him for the player he is, what he did. I don't see
many players from England who have had the same career as him. They
should show more respect for him. Everybody wants to make a little thing
a big thing."
Manager Jose Mourinho said: "People like him
doesn't need to answer any more, just enjoy a few more years of his
career and playing the best he can."
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