Defenders not as good as they were in my day - Rooney

Former Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney has played with and against his fair share of top defenders.

Having spent 13 years at a United side who were successful both domestically and in Europe, Rooney came up against the best centre-backs the continent has to offer.

But on the latest edition of BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show, the forward says today's defenders do not compare to those he faced during his 19-year senior career.

"In this current age, the centre-backs are nowhere near as good as the ones I played against," the 39-year-old said.

Out of the current Premier League crop, he cites Arsenal's William Saliba and Gabriel as the best pair.

"Saliba and Gabriel complement each other really well," he said.

"You can see them leading and talking, that is what you need, you need talkers and leaders as centre-backs.

"Would I put them at the same level as players I have played against? No I wouldn't. But they are possibly the best pairing in this day."

Saliba signed a new contract with the Gunners this week and Rooney said it is "huge" that manager Mikel Arteta has managed to keep hold of the Frenchman.

"That helps with maybe other players following suit and players coming in in January and next summer," he said.

"When you know there is stability, that helps everyone out."

On the latest episode of the podcast, Rooney ranks the top five defenders he has faced.

He was quick to praise Manchester United duo Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic and said both would have been included in his overall list of top five defenders.

But this list comprises solely of the top five he played against in the Champions League.

What Rooney said: "We played against him in 2007 in the Champions League. He was very clever, he always looked in control of what he was doing, he could be nasty as well.

"We played AC Milan at Old Trafford in the first leg. After 10 minutes I could hear him breathing heavily behind me and 'I thought I've got him, he's not getting through 90 minutes'. He managed to get through it - but I scored in the last minute [as United won 3-2].

"But in the second leg - and a big reason why I picked him - he was a completely different player, no heavy breathing, no panting.

"We lost 3-0... I felt we made progress as a team but the [AC Milan] had was an incredible team - and that was a real lesson for us."

What Rooney said: "Difficult to play against, experienced leader, clever in the way he got me sent off in the World Cup [in 2006].

"He was organised, such a good header of the ball, could tackle. Maybe he was overlooked a bit because of John Terry at Chelsea.

"But Carvalho was a massive part of Chelsea's success. He was nasty as well. There is a theme with the players I picked. They were all clever and knew the little tricks."

What Rooney said: "I used to watch him growing up and he was an iconic player. When I came up against him it's probably one of the only times I have been in awe on a pitch. He was so clever.

"What I really liked was he understood the way the next five minutes of the game were going, when he was talking to his team-mates you could see them listening to him, he had that aura about him.

"His defending, his reading of the game, you think you have got past him, but he would put himself in a better position."

What Rooney said: "A player I played with and against. He was a young lad at Manchester United but he doesn't get the respect he deserves. He wasn't the quickest but he put himself into really good positions to counteract that.

"His ability with the ball was as good as any defender you will ever see in terms of passing through the lines and starting attacks off.

"He was a winner, a great character, fun to be around when we played with him. His problem at United was when he came through, technically he was fantastic but the question was could he cope with it physically.

"It was a toss of the coin between him and Jonny Evans, we all felt at the time Jonny was the better player and was more suited to the Premier League. The manager kept Jonny and let Gerard go back to Barcelona. I don't think any of us could imagine the career he went on to have."

What Rooney said: "Without a doubt the best. He was horrible to play against. Talking about leaders, he was fantastic as captain of England when I played with him.

"How he defended, he was strong, good in the air, never pulled out of tackles, was a threat on set-pieces.

"He was one of those defenders who when you went near him he would just hurt you. He didn't mean to, but he would leave something on you all the time.

"I don't think people give him the credit he deserves, he was incredible with both feet."