Wayne Rooney has criticised former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson for his approach to the 2009 and 2011 Champions League finals, which saw the Red Devils lose to Spanish giants Barcelona.
The two sides met each other in Rome and then at Wembley with Pep Guardiola's Barcelona emerging victorious on both occasions with 2-0 and 3-1 victories respectively.
Rooney, who scored an equaliser at Wembley in 2011, was unable to add another Champions League medal to the one that he won in 2008 against Chelsea in Moscow and feels that going "toe-to-toe" with Barcelona was a "suicidal" approach by Ferguson.
"We lost two Champions League finals going toe-to-toe with Guardiola's Barcelona, by trying to press high and get round them, which was suicidal," Rooney told the Daily Mail.
"I remember Alex Ferguson saying 'we're Man United and we're going to attack, it's in the culture of this football club' and I'm thinking 'I'm not too sure about this'.
"I think all the players knew, deep down, it was the wrong approach, that we were abandoning the way that had brought us success in that 2008 semi-final — and sure enough both times we got outplayed."
Rooney, who made 393 career appearances for United and scored 183 goals, is currently with Derby County as a player-coach and is hoping to progress into management once he decides to hang up his boots.
Oliver Thomas
