Wayne Rooney makes his feelings clear on Marc Guehi as Liverpool transfer hangs in balance

Wayne Rooney has lauded Marc Guehi as a "fantastic player" and commended the Crystal Palace skipper's professionalism amid Liverpool's ongoing pursuit.

Guehi, who is in the final year of his contract, risks leaving Palace on a free transfer next summer if not sold. Liverpool is keen to secure a deal for Guehi before the transfer window closes and has tabled an enhanced £35 million ($47.4 million) bid.

Despite this offer, Guehi featured for Palace on Sunday, even netting a spectacular long-distance goal in the team's 3-0 victory over Aston Villa. Guehi's future remains uncertain, but Rooney has showered praise on the England international for his unwavering commitment to Palace amid the speculation.

Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, Rooney said: "I think he's a fantastic player.

"He's agile, he reads the game really well, he puts his head in, he blocks shots, and he's calm on the ball. I think he has got everything you need for a center-back in today's game.

"There's been a lot of speculation with Guehi over the last few months, and he's shown a great level of professionalism to go out there and play for the team.

"He deserves a lot of credit because we have seen certain players refuse to play. But he deserves great credit for doing the right thing."

Palace's gaffer, Oliver Glasner, has consistently expressed his desire for Guehi to remain with the team, a sentiment he echoed following their victory over Villa.

"I told the chairman we have to keep Marc if we want to play a successful season," Glasner stated.

"We have no chance to find the right replacement in one day. We all agreed that we just sell Marc if we have the right replacement in the building.

"We wanted a replacement by 1 July. It is 31 August and we have no replacement. We have this agreement, so it is clear, from me.

"He is such a crucial player. He is one of our key players - he is our captain."

When asked about his future after the match, Guehi responded: "All I know is when you score goals like that, it is always down to team performance.

"People will try to single out the goal, but that was a clear team performance tonight."

Story Saved

You can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.