Football
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Wayne Rooney goalscoring has surprised Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted Wayne Rooney's history-making exploits have taken him by surprise -- because he never considered him an "out-and-out goalscorer."

Rooney will beat Sir Bobby Charlton's 45-year-old England scoring record if he nets twice more against San Marino on Saturday night.

But Ferguson -- who brought Rooney to Old Trafford as an 18-year-old in 2004 -- said he never did so with any goalscoring records in mind.

In an interview with ITV Sport, Ferguson said: "We thought more of him as a footballer -- we didn't reckon that he was an absolute out-and-out goalscorer.

"The evidence wasn't there for that -- he was an outstanding footballer and that was the reason we wanted him."

But having been won over by Rooney's goalscoring ability Ferguson is reluctant to pick the most prolific between him and former Manchester United star Charlton.

Ferguson added: "It is an incredible record of Bobby Charlton's and it is a big ask [to break it] because the demands on the England team are very hard.

"A few of them have tried to break it -- Jimmy Greaves, Michael Owen, Gary Lineker -- and that tells you how difficult it is. But Bobby's record will be beaten - and Bobby will be more pleased than anyone.

"It's difficult to say which is the biggest achievement -- Bobby played at a time when England were winning the World Cup, and really Wayne has been the star of the England team for the last 10 years.

"Great players can play in any era so their achievements are identical - it's impossible to compare different eras like that. It's difficult to assess exactly who is better."

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