Gary Lineker and Micah Richards in full agreement that Wayne Rooney is 'slightly underrated'

Micah Richards has explained to Gary Lineker why he thinks Manchester United and England icon Wayne Rooney does not receive the respect that he deserves.

Wayne Rooney is Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer and previously held the same feat for England before being eclipsed by Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane.

The 40-year-old former Man Utd captain is widely regarded as one of the best Premier League strikers of all time after his legendary playing career.

Despite his feats at Old Trafford, including his major silverware haul, Rooney’s exploits at club level and on the international stage have been played down.

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Micah Richards bites back at ‘disrespectful’ discourse around Wayne Rooney after Gary Lineker’s question

Wayne Rooney bowed out of Manchester United in 2017 after capturing five Premier Leagues, a Champions League, a Europa League, an FA Cup and three League Cups.

The legendary former Premier League striker returned to boyhood club Everton for a brief second spell before later playing for both DC United and Derby County.

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Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast, Gary Lineker asked co-hosts Alan Shearer and Micah Richards about their feelings on the career of United legend Rooney.

“Do you think… it seems a bit ridiculous, slightly underrated?” Lineker posed as a question.

Sky Sports pundit Richards responded with a “Yeah,” which was met with the exact same reaction from former England and Barcelona striker Lineker.

Reacting to the criticism around Rooney, Richards added: “Just longevity.

“I think, without being disrespectful, you know, if he would have looked after himself like Ronaldo, I think he could have got more years out of him.”

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Micah Richards and Gary Lineker debate the criticism that is aimed at Man Utd and England icon Wayne Rooney

Rooney saw out the tail end of his career with Derby County before he called it time as a player in 2021 before immediately transitioning to football management.

Continuing their discourse around Rooney, Lineker asked Richards: “Do you not think that’s part of his makeup, though?”

Richards then responded: “Yeah, a little bit.”

The 37-year-old former Manchester City and England defender would double down on his comparison between United legend Cristiano Ronaldo and Rooney.

“But I think as well, the United team changed, didn’t it?” Richards added.

“And it didn’t really have the same players around him, which would have been very frustrating. That’s why he was running around and trying to get on the ball where he shouldn’t really be.

“But it’s just, if he would have gone a couple more years, I think he would have been right up there with the Ronaldos of the world. That’s how much ability I think he had.”

Both Richards and Lineker agreed that Rooney should have been in that “tier” that former Juventus and Real Madrid superstar Cristiano Ronaldo finds himself in.

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