Wayne Rooney picks four Man Utd icons who would get in Man City's XI, no Cristiano Ronaldo | OneFootball

Manchester United cult hero Wayne Rooney has claimed that the famous 2008 Champions League-winning side he was an integral part of would lose to the present Manchester City.

He admitted that Pep Guardiola’s men would ‘have had the edge’ on their city compatriots.

In his column with The Times, Rooney claimed that his side would be similar to Jurgen Klopp’s recent Liverpool.

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There or thereabouts – with the occasional victory against the rampant City - but would typically finish behind them in the final league table.

Now, City are now favourites to clinch the Premier League title after spending plenty of this season chasing Arsenal.

Real Madrid stand in their way of booking a spot in the Champions League final in their search for their inaugural triumph, though Rooney believes they will blow the Spanish stalwarts away. Only time will tell.

Wayne Rooney’s combined XI: 2008 Champions League winners and current City

"Could the 2008 United team have competed with City? Head to head, we’d have a good chance but over a 38-game season they would have the edge," he wrote.

As mentioned, the former United forward ceded that the 2007/08 European champions would be similar to Liverpool in a sense.

"I think we’d have been similar to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, able to beat them in one-off games but usually just a bit behind them in the final league table.

When writing about a combined XI of the two outfits, Rooney – after racking his brains – managed to fit only four players from his United pals.

"There were players in our team who would have got into this City side. Paul Scholes would have been perfect, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic too. I believe I would have fitted into it as well – and I would have loved to play with Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland."

Imagine that forward line.

Rooney then went on to talk about the potential of this City squad as they near closer to matching United’s historic treble achievement, saying: “After winning in 2008, we reached two further finals over the next three seasons and if City win this year, I’m sure that, like us, they’ll get to more finals.

"At the same time, they’ll keep strengthening that already incredible squad. The scary thing is they could go on and win it multiple times, doing something similar to what Madrid have done over the past few years.

“If they win the Champions League and the title, as much as it pains me, I think you’d have to put City up there with United’s 1999 treble-winners as the best Premier League team of all time.” Rooney claimed.

The exclusion of Cristiano Ronaldo

The biggest surprise of it all might be that Rooney’s elusive forward partner was excluded.

Rooney truly believes that the eventual Ballon d’Or in that season would not feature in a combined squad ahead of the likes of Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, and Riyad Mahrez.

Maybe personal preference came into play in his selections, seeing as the pair have regularly not seen eye to eye.

He criticised the Portuguese talisman for refusing to come on as a substitute earlier this season against Tottenham Hotspur.

In Ronaldo’s high-profile interview with Piers Morgan, he questioned his former teammate.

“I don’t know why he [Rooney] criticises me so badly. Probably because he finished his career, and I’m still playing at a high level.”

Other notable exclusions include names such as Patrice Evra and Edwin van der Sar, but not including five-time Ballon d’Or winner Ronaldo seems farcical on Rooney’s part.