Rooney is remembered as one of the greatest players England has ever produced.
During his peak years at United, he won five Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League, among other honors. ..Continue Reading
Rooney was England’s record goalscorer until Harry Kane surpassed him.
Looking ahead, United have been told that an academy player could be as good as, or even better than, Rooney.
MMA star Ibragim Ibragimov has three brothers in United’s youth teams and has identified 16-year-old Amir as the one to watch.
Speaking to Sun Sport recently, Ibragimov said: “My brother is the next big thing, I’ve already said that to everybody. He’s ready for the first team, he just needs the chance. Once he gets the chance, Inshallah he will make it, 100 per cent this year.
“They are comparing him to Wayne Rooney, so he’s going to be the next Wayne Rooney. A better version than Wayne Rooney.”
In addition to Amir, 15-year-old Gazik and 12-year-old Muhammad are also part of United’s youth teams and are predicted to have promising futures.
Ibragimov added: “They need young fresh blood. They need more academy players. They have a lot of academy players at the moment, really good, like dark horses and they’re on the bench.
“Some of the guys on the bench already, some of the guys are playing for the academy, they got a good team. So yeah, hopefully they have youngsters play for the first team and then they’ll show the levels of Manchester.”
Born in Russia in 2008, Amir Ibragimov began his youth career at Sheffield United before transferring to the Red Devils.
He captained United’s U14 and U15 teams, and in August 2022, he signed his first pre-scholarship deal.
Since then, the 16-year-old has played for the club’s U16 and U18 teams, and in April 2023, he started training with the first team. In January 2024, he made his first appearance for the senior team in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Burnley.
Amir has also represented England at U15 and U16 levels, scoring one goal.
