Ferguson wouldn't have allowed half-time player interviews - Rooney

Sir Alex Ferguson would not have allowed his players to do half-time interviews, according to Wayne Rooney.

Speaking on his new BBC podcast, The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney said he does not see how footballers can benefit from "crazy" interviews taking place during a game.

Arsenal's Martin Odegaard spoke to Sky Sports at half-time during his side's Premier League win against Manchester United last weekend.

Rooney believes Ferguson, who was his boss for nine years at Manchester United, would have been firmly against the idea had it been raised during his time in charge.

"I know how he would have reacted and it wouldn't have been in a nice way, that's for sure!" Rooney said. "So there's no way this would have happened with Alex Ferguson.

"When I signed for DC United, they initially were trying to get me to do interviews at half-time as a player, which I refused. I think your focus, your mindset, is on the game and what should happen in the next 45 minutes, how you're going to do better or continue to do well in the second half."

The former England and Manchester United striker's new podcast airs twice weekly on BBC Sounds, YouTube and iPlayer.

In the latest episode of the podcast, Rooney also said that La Liga approving plans for Barcelona's match against Villarreal to be played in Miami is "wrong" and "should never happen".

Other one-off matches, such as the Italian Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup, have been held abroad in recent years.

But Rooney thinks it is "just wrong" to play games abroad when you have a loyal fanbase at home.

"The TV and the broadcasters will do everything they can to get as much as they can for the money they're paying," he said.

"But you've got loyal fans who go and travel all over the country watching you home and away. And then for them to miss a game - or if they want to go to the game abroad they have to pay the money which would be expected to go to, say to the States, for a hotel, travel.

"I just think it's wrong that you're taking a game away from the fans purely for money reasons. I think it's wrong and it should never happen."

Watch the Wayne Rooney Show on BBC Sport YouTube, external, and iPlayer. Listen on BBC Sounds.