Dutch striker Ruud van Nistelrooy said on Wednesday he was thrilled at the prospect of teaming up with £27mil signing Wayne Rooney at Manchester United after the teenager moved from Everton.
The Dutch international – Alex Ferguson’s number one striker at Old Trafford – said: “Everyone knows Wayne is an amazing talent and the thought of him pulling on a United shirt is frightening.
“He proved himself at Euro 2004 and I don’t know many clubs who wouldn’t mind him in their side. He is an incredible player who has a huge future ahead of him,” he told the Daily Mirror tabloid.
Rooney has signed a six-year contract which will tie him to Old Trafford until June 30, 2010.
“To do what he has already done at just 18 years old is incredible,” Van Nistelrooy said. “Anyone who has seen him play knows what a talent he is. It really excites me to think he will be playing at United.
“He will be a great asset to the club and to play with him will be fantastic.”
Louis Saha and Ruud van Nistelrooy are reported to be making good progress on their returns to fitness.
Saha will start training again on Monday and whilst van Nistelrooy is still a couple of weeks away from a playing return his post-op recovery is said to be going well.
"He had his hernia operation on Tuesday and he is back in training now. They don't waste any time these days, no messing. He is on the exercise bike, training but it still looks as if it will be at least a month before he is back," said Ferguson.
Ruud phenomenal Manchester United goalscoring feats have shot him into the top five all-time Old Trafford heroes.
In the first such poll for three years, conducted on behalf of the official Manchester United magazine released later this week, van Nistelrooy is ranked at number five, by far the highest of a clutch of new entries that also includes John O´Shea, Rio Ferdinand, Tim Howard and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Though the young Portuguese winger, currently on Olympic duty in Athens, has only been with the Red Devils for one season, he has already done enough to appear at number 32 in the chart.
Sir Alex Ferguson has revealed that Manchester United are at fault for Ruud van Nistelrooy's hernia injury.
The Netherlands international sustained the injury during pre-season and has been told he requires surgery to clear up the problem which will keep him sidelined for the opening month of the new Premiership season at least.
The star striker was given extra time off following Holland's exertions in Euro 2004 which ended at the semi-final stages with defeat to host nation Portugal.
Subsequently, the 28-year-old was left at home for the Red Devils' pre-season tour of the United States and only returned to training last week, making his first appearance against former club PSV Eindhoven in the Vodafone Cup at Old Trafford on Tuesday.
Ferguson was desperate to get van Nistelrooy back into shape before United's crucial Champions League qualifier against Dinamo Bucharest next week and rushed him back into action too soon, seeing him break down against the Dutch outfit.
He admits the club is to blame for putting the Dutchman through an intense training programme which has resulted in his hernia injury.
Fergie said: "We have to hold our hands up with that one in the sense that because of the Champions League game qualifying stage we have had to rush players back which we wouldn't normally have done.
"It is such an important game for us that we wanted Ruud and the others back quickly.
"We have to think about our own side of it because he only had seven days' preparation before playing the game on Tuesday and that is not enough."
Ferguson has also insisted that Diego Forlan will not leaving Old Trafford because of the striker crisis at the club.
The Uruguay international has slipped down the pecking order following the arrival of Alan Smith earlier in the summer and has been linked with a move to Spain in recent weeks.
But injuries to van Nistelrooy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who underwent surgery on his troublesome knee on Saturday, has forced Ferguson to drop his plans to offload Forlan.
He said: "Solskjaer is also a miss which is why I am not inclined to let Diego go.
"There has been a lot of toing and froing in the last couple of weeks regarding clubs in Spain trying to get him in on the cheap but nothing has really excited us to let him move.
"So since what has happened to Solskjaer and now van Nistelrooy it means he won't be going out now."
Manchester United have suffered a major blow with the news that Ruud van Nistelrooy will miss the start of the season through injury.
The Dutchman is suffering from a hernia problem and is expected to be out of action for up to a month.
Van Nistelrooy was missing from the squad for Thursday's Vodafone Cup game with Urawa Reds before it was postponed.
The Dutch international made his first appearance for United in pre-season with a run-out for an hour against former club PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday night.
Van Nistelrooy will now miss this weekend's Community Shield clash with Arsenal and next week's UEFA Champions League qualifier with Dinamo Bucharest.
The injury to van Nistelrooy may provide new signing Alan Smith the chance to start the season with Louis Saha in attack.
RUUD IS THRILLED TO TEAM UP WITH WAYNE
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