Former Chelsea captain John Terry has named Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney as one of the toughest opponents he faced in the Premier League.

While he admitted that Arsenal icon Thierry Henry was the player he “feared the most”, Terry also said that Rooney was a “phenomenal” player who is somewhat underrated despite his hugely successful career with the Red Devils and England:

“Thierry Henry was the best I came up against, the one I feared the most. Next has to be Wayne Rooney. He was a top, top player and what he achieved was incredible. I don’t know if it gets overlooked a little bit just how good Wayne was when he first broke into the England team.

“I remember playing against him in the Premier League and having him as a teammate in the England sessions. He was phenomenal.”

Terry also named Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero and former Tottenham striker Harry Kane as the two other players he found it difficult to play against.

Rooney’s record at Manchester United

During his time at Old Trafford, the forward racked up 253 goals in 559 appearances, which makes him the club’s all-time top scorer in all competitions. He surpassed the previous highest scorer, Bobby Charlton, when he bagged his 250th against Stoke City in a 1-1 draw back in January 2017.

Rooney also won no less than 16 major honours, including five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, three League Cups, four Community Shields, one Champions League, one Europa League and one FIFA Club World Cup.

Both Terry and Rooney have now been inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame

Rooney was one of eight inductees for the Hall of Fame back in 2022, which was only the second year after the Premier League started the awards.

Terry, meanwhile, was among this year’s nominees, along with former Chelsea teammate Ashley Cole and ex-Manchester United striker Andrew Cole.