Rooney: Rio best in the world
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has hailed his team-mate Rio Ferdinand as the best defender in the world.
Ferdinand was outstanding at Anfield on Sunday as United took all three points in a 1-0 win over title rivals Liverpool.
And despite the fact that it was Carlos Tevez that grabbed all the headlines for his 43rd minute winner, Rooney reserved special praise for Ferdinand and his vital defensive contribution.
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Rooney said: "Vida (Nemanja Vidic) and Rio were brilliant for us.
"I think Rio is probably the best defender in the world at the moment. He's been doing really well for us. The whole defence and the whole team is defending well."
very natural
Rooney also revealed that because he and Tevez do not communicate too much due to the language barrier, the success of their partnership is all down to instinct.
The pair have scored 15 goals in 11 matches together following Tevez's move to Old Trafford in August.
Rooney added: "We don't talk to each other very much because we don't speak the same language, but that doesn't matter when you are playing with a great talent like Carlos.
"We do a lot of hard work together on the training pitch but the understanding between us seems to be very natural anyway.
"It's all about eye contact. It's just a glance here or a nod there and we instinctively know what the other one is going to do and when and where we want the ball to be played."