England's all-time leading goalscorer Wayne Rooney hopes Harry Kane smashes his record during the World Cup.

Kane heads to the tournament with 51 goals for the Three Lions, two behind Rooney's record hail, with the pair standing as the only England players to have hit the half-century mark.

Having scored six times in Russia four years ago to win the Golden Boot, Kane will be confident of surpassing Rooney's tally in Qatar.

While others may wish to hold onto such a record, Rooney is fully behind Kane taking a record that is "there to be broken".

"I'm delighted for him, I think he'll go on and smash the record, I think he'll end up on 70-odd goals," Ronney told TalkSPORT.

"He deserves it for the work he puts in. It's a huge honour to have the record but the record is there to be broken and I couldn't think of anyone better to take that record.

"Hopefully, he gets it during this World Cup because it will mean he's doing well for England."

Kane was one of the sure-fire picks for Gareth Southgate's 26-man squad, which was named on Thursday, though the England manager's selection of Harry Maguire has come under some criticism.

Rooney, who took up a coaching role with D.C. United in MLS earlier this year, believes Southgate has made the right choice in picking the Manchester United centre-back, though he questioned the exclusion of Milan's Fikayo Tomori.

"Harry has been great in the last two tournaments. When I was in the squad, Gareth reiterated to me that he is picking players on form and I wasn't playing, so I didn't get picked, but he seems to have gone away from that now," he added.

"There's a couple of players within the squad who haven't been playing but I think Harry is a very good professional, he'll start the games, I have no doubt, and I'm sure he won't let England down.

"The squad is probably as strong as it could be, if I'm being honest. The only one really is Tomori, from my point of view. He was the one who was pushing to be in the squad, and he will be disappointed that he is not. Everything else is really what I expected.

"With Maguire not playing as much as he wants, I think Southgate might go for the protection with three centre-backs and that is obviously why he's gone with Eric Dier ahead of Tomori, because he fits into the back three.

"I hope we go for four [at the back] and get an extra attacker on the pitch but I think he might go for the back three."

England kick-off their group stage campaign against Iran on November 21, then tackle the United States and Wales in Group B.

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo for his behaviour this season and questioned why other former team-mates are defending him.

Ronaldo was left out of the United squad for a 1-1 draw against Chelsea in October after refusing to come on as a substitute in the previous game against Tottenham, where he also left the dugout before the final whistle.

The veteran forward has since returned to the side, captaining United in their most recent Premier League match at Aston Villa.

But speculation around Ronaldo's future persists after he pushed for a move away from Old Trafford ahead of the season, and Rooney warns he will be an "unwanted distraction" if he does not change his attitude.

"I don't think they're a better team with him in the side. I just think the things he has done since the start of the season are not acceptable for Manchester United," Rooney told talkSPORT.

"We've seen Roy Keane defending him, Roy wouldn't have accepted that at all. It's a distraction that Manchester United don't need at the minute, it's time to rebuild.

"Cristiano needs to get his head down and work, be ready to play when the manager needs him. If he does that, he'll be an asset. If he doesn't, I think it will be an unwanted distraction."

Ronaldo and Rooney arrived at United in consecutive years in 2003 and 2004 as two of the most exciting young players in world football.

And Rooney now wants to see United pursue a 2023 equivalent in the form of Jude Bellingham, who he was immediately impressed by when facing the Borussia Dortmund midfielder during his time at Birmingham City.

"I played against Bellingham when he was at Birmingham and I was at Derby, he actually man-marked me during that game," Rooney said. "I think he was about 16, maybe just 17, and what I really liked about him is every time I passed the ball off, he'd leave a stud in on me.

"And I remember thinking that he's got something about him, just to show the character to go out to Germany and take that league by storm.

"That mentality to perform, obviously he's been captain in quite a few of the games as well, he's going to be a huge player for England. Even though he's young, he can put some of that character into some of the rest of the squad.

"I hope Manchester United are targeting him. I hope he doesn't go to Liverpool or Manchester City. I'm sure they're doing their work, he's probably the hottest youngster in world football at the minute.

"I'm sure United are looking at that as well, I know they tried to get him a couple of years ago. He's a player that United could really do with at the moment."

"Remember the name... Wayne Rooney!"

Broadcaster Clive Tyldesley commentated on plenty of famous moments down the years, and his excitement in this instance was justified.

Five days short of his 17th birthday, Wayne Rooney came on as a late substitute for Everton at Goodison Park. The Toffees were drawing 1-1 with Arsenal, the reigning Premier League champions.

Everton had only beaten Arsenal once in their previous 12 meetings, but on October 19, 2002, Rooney stepped up to deliver a sensational stoppage-time winner and kick-start a career that saw him rise to the very top.

Talk of the terraces

October 19, 2002 might have been the day Rooney cemented himself at the forefront of English football, but the boy wonder from the Liverpool suburb of Croxteth had been the talk of the Blue side of the city for some time.

"The first time I ever played with Wayne, he was 14 years old," recalled Kevin Campbell, speaking on Everton fan channel The Blue Room in 2021, after Rooney had announced his retirement at the age of 35.

"He's had a remarkable career, he’s been a fantastic footballer for England, broken records. He's made his mark. I'm pleased, and I'm proud that I played with him and captained him."

Nobody perhaps quite foresaw what a success Rooney would go on to become, of course. He is, after all, Manchester United and England's record goalscorer – albeit Harry Kane could well surpass Rooney's 53 international strikes at the upcoming World Cup. However, there was a definite buzz around Rooney as he came through the ranks of Everton's academy.

"We knew where he was destined for," said Campbell. "We heard that there's a young lad coming through who's good, Wayne Rooney.

"When I ended up playing with him [in the reserves], and someone said 'this is Wayne Rooney', I was like 'the kit's too big for him!' But wow, he left an impression on me, and this was two years prior. I went back to the lads and said 'there's this kid Rooney coming up, he should be with us now'. As soon as he finished school, he came in, one training session and the lads were... jaws on the floor. Incredible talent."

Rooney had made the bench towards the end of the 2001-02 season, and while it is his strike against Arsenal that sticks in the mind, he first scored earlier in October, in a 3-0 defeat of Wrexham in the League Cup, netting twice.

Eighteen days later, his time on the big stage arrived.

A bolt from the blue

Rooney's full debut in the Premier League (then known as the Premiership, of course) actually came on the opening day of the 2002-03 season, David Moyes having named him in the side to face Tottenham at Goodison Park. The match ended 2-2, with Rooney assisting one of Everton's goals.

Further league starts followed against Birmingham City and Aston Villa before his crowning moment as the competition's youngest goalscorer came.

Freddie Ljungberg had put Arsenal ahead early on, but Tomasz Radzinski lashed in an equaliser 14 minutes later.

David Seaman – days after conceding to Macedonia's Artim Sakiri direct from a corner in his final England appearance – twice denied Thomas Gravesen while Everton rode their luck at the other end.

It was Gravesen's prod forward in the closing moments that was then brought down effortlessly by Rooney.

With deft control beyond his years, Rooney stopped the looping ball dead over his shoulder, cushioning it with his right foot to twist away from two backpedalling Arsenal defenders.

Rooney's first touch elicited a sense of audible awe from the home faithful. His second allowed him to assess his options. By the time he took his third – this one slightly heavier to give him a run-up – his mind had been made up as he prepared to swing his right boot from 25 yards out, just to the left of centre.

Moments later, Seaman was on his knees, the back of the net was rippling, and the ball was bouncing back down to earth, having clipped in off the underside of the crossbar on its way in. Rooney was wheeling away, and commentator Tyldesley was about to say those famous words.

Goodison Park was in delirium, shaking to the wooden rafters. The Grand Old Lady rocking for English football's new favourite son.

Remember the goal, not just the name

Of course, Rooney scored so many goals, it is hard to pick his very best – one from inside his own half for United against West Ham (he also scored a similar goal against the Hammers in his second spell at Everton) comes to mind, as does a sublime solo goal against Leeds United not long after his winner against Arsenal, his outrageous volley against Newcastle United after an angry tirade at the referee and that stunning bicycle kick in a 2011 Manchester derby.

But does his first Premier League goal get the recognition it deserves?

The poise, vision and control Rooney displayed with his first two touches were a showcase of the natural talent he possessed. Not long out of school, Rooney's skill wouldn't have looked out of place had he been playing in the opposite colours that day for a team who would go on to become 'The Invincibles' the following season.

There is also the arrogance and confidence to look up and, with Arsenal's formidable defence – made up of Lauren, Sol Campbell, Pascal Cygan and Ashley Cole in front of England's number one goalkeeper of 15 years – ahead of him, choose to go for goal.

The odds were clearly stacked against Rooney. The expected goals data is not available for this goal, but you would hazard a guess it would be of low value.

Shortly afterwards, with Everton looking to see the game out, Rooney actually very nearly bettered his breakthrough goal, chipping Seaman from close to 30 yards, again showing the exuberance of youth mixed with world-class quality.

The Toffees used that victory as a springboard, the first in a sequence of six straight wins – all by a one-goal margin, with Rooney netting that sole strike at Leeds. The teenager did not start another top-flight game until December, however, as Moyes attempted to manage expectations and keep the pressure off a boy, as Campbell said, destined for greatness.

Rooney's name will be remembered among the very best, he made sure of that. But the goal that started it all deserves to be remembered as one of his best, too.

Cristiano Ronaldo must "stay patient" and take his opportunities when they arise if he is to reignite his career, according to former Manchester United team-mate Wayne Rooney.

Portugal international Ronaldo has endured a difficult time of things in his second season back at Old Trafford, having started just one of United's seven Premier League games.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner led the scoring charts for United in the previous campaign with 24 goals, but his only goal in nine outings this term was a penalty against Sheriff.

That came in the Europa League, a competition Ronaldo – the Champions League's all-time record scorer – is now having to use to prove himself to manager Erik ten Hag.

Rooney, who played alongside Ronaldo between 2004 and 2009, says his former colleague will be finding life on the substitutes' bench tough but can still turn things around.

"The manager's obviously gone a different way in terms of how they're playing and been successful," said D.C. United head coach Rooney.

"Cristiano... him and [Lionel] Messi are two of the greatest players to ever play the game, but ultimately time catches up with us all. 

"He's obviously not the player he was when he was 22 or 23, for instance. It's a tough one for him.

"Knowing him, it'll be very difficult to sit on the bench. I'm sure if he stays patient, his chance will come and it's then him taking those chances and trying to force his way back in."

This is the first season since 2005-06, during his first spell at United, that Ronaldo has failed to score in his opening six league appearances.

The Sporting CP academy product has had 12 shots across 207 minutes without scoring in the top flight this season, generating an expected goals (xG) value of 0.8.

Only playmaker Christian Eriksen (1.2) has a higher xG among United players who have yet to score in the league this term.

Ronaldo is expected to be part of United's squad for Sunday's trip to Everton, against whom the Red Devils have won just one of their past seven league matches.

Reigning MLS Cup champions New York City slumped to their fifth loss from their past six games as Christian Benteke debuted for DC United who claimed an upset 2-1 win on Wednesday.

City had ended a three-game losing run with a 2-0 win at Chicago Fire 10 days before losing to Orlando City on the weekend but their poor form continued at Red Bull Arena.

Ola Kamara tapped in from point blank range to give the visitors at 24th-minute lead, but Heber side-footed in an equalizer three minutes later.

Steven Birnbaum restored United's lead with a header from a Martin Rodriguez free-kick in the 57th minute and City could not find a response with David Ochoa palming away Gedion Zelalem's 95th-minute effort.

The win is Wayne Rooney's second since taking over at United who are still last in the Eastern Conference, while it sees City slide down to fourth in the east.

Riqui Puig scored a spectacular late equalizer with a long-range curler after a give-and-go to earn LA Galaxy a 2-2 draw away to Toronto.

Douglas Costa had put the Galaxy into a 24th-minute lead before Toronto hit back with second-half goals to Jesus Jimenez and Filippo Bernardeschi before the Spaniard's 89th-minute strike.

Riqui Puig was making only his third appearance for the Galaxy following his August move from Barcelona.

The result dents star-studded Toronto's playoffs aspirations, leaving them 10th in the east, while the Galaxy are eighth in the west.

Philadelphia Union became the second team behind LAFC to book their postseason berth with a 4-1 home win over Atlanta United.

Julian Carranza, Mikael Uhre, Daniel Gazdag and Nathan Harriel were all among the goals for Union who are eight points clear in the east.

New York Red Bulls moved up to third in the east with a 1-0 win at second-placed Montreal with Lewis Morgan hitting the winner in the 43rd minute.

LAFC suffered a shock 2-1 loss to lowly Houston Dynamo, who condemning the Western Conference leaders to their third straight defeat.

Inter Miami slumped to back-to-back losses with a 1-0 defeat at Columbus Crew, while New England's winless run extended to four games after a goalless draw with struggling Chicago Fire who snapped a three-game losing run.

Hany Mukhtar netted a hat-trick as Nashville beat Colorado Rapids 4-1, while Orlando City came from two goals down to defeat Seattle Sounders 3-2.

Real Salt Lake proved too good for Minnesota United 3-0 and Portland Timbers moved into the west's top seven with a narrow win against second-placed Austin 2-1.

Reigning MLS Cup champions New York City slumped to their fifth loss from their past six games as Christian Benteke debuted for DC United who claimed an upset 2-1 win on Wednesday.

City had ended a three-game losing run with a 2-0 win at Chicago Fire 10 days before losing to Orlando City on the weekend but their poor form continued at Red Bull Arena.

Ola Kamara tapped in from point blank range to give the visitors at 24th-minute lead, but Heber side-footed in an equalizer three minutes later.

Steven Birnbaum restored United's lead with a header from a Martin Rodriguez free-kick in the 57th minute and City could not find a response with David Ochoa palming away Gedion Zelalem's 95th-minute effort.

The win is Wayne Rooney's second since taking over at United who are still last in the Eastern Conference, while it sees City slide down to fourth in the east.

Riqui Puig scored a spectacular late equalizer with a long-range curler after a give-and-go to earn LA Galaxy a 2-2 draw away to Toronto.

Douglas Costa had put the Galaxy into a 24th-minute lead before Toronto hit back with second-half goals to Jesus Jimenez and Filippo Bernardeschi before the Spaniard's 89th-minute strike.

Riqui Puig was making only his third appearance for the Galaxy following his August move from Barcelona.

The result dents star-studded Toronto's playoffs aspirations, leaving them 10th in the east, while the Galaxy are eighth in the west.

Philadelphia Union became the second team behind LAFC to book their postseason berth with a 4-1 home win over Atlanta United.

Julian Carranza, Mikael Uhre, Daniel Gazdag and Nathan Harriel were all among the goals for Union who are eight points clear in the east.

New York Red Bulls moved up to third in the east with a 1-0 win at second-placed Montreal with Lewis Morgan hitting the winner in the 43rd minute.

LAFC suffered a shock 2-1 loss to lowly Houston Dynamo, who condemning the Western Conference leaders to their third straight defeat.

Inter Miami slumped to back-to-back losses with a 1-0 defeat at Columbus Crew, while New England's winless run extended to four games after a goalless draw with struggling Chicago Fire who snapped a three-game losing run.

Hany Mukhtar netted a hat-trick as Nashville beat Colorado Rapids 4-1, while Orlando City came from two goals down to defeat Seattle Sounders 3-2.

Real Salt Lake proved too good for Minnesota United 3-0 and Portland Timbers moved into the west's top seven with a narrow win against second-placed Austin 2-1.

Harry Kane expressed his pride after moving to joint-third in the Premier League's all-time goalscoring charts with a brace in Tottenham's entertaining win over Nottingham Forest.

Kane scored the 200th league goal of his career after just five minutes at the City Ground, and although he saw a second-half penalty saved by Dean Henderson, the England captain atoned by nodding home a late second to secure a 2-0 win.

In doing so, Kane joined Andy Cole on 187 Premier League goals. Only Alan Shearer (260) and Wayne Rooney (208) have now scored more in the competition's history.

Kane described that duo as two of the all-time greats as he looked to take his goalscoring exploits even further after firing Spurs to victory on Sunday.

"It's still a long way away, for sure, but I still feel fit, I feel I have many more years left in the locker," Kane told Sky Sports of Shearer's record.

"Every season I want to score goals, I want to be amongst those names, and I'm excited for the challenge.

"Alan and Wayne are two of the best strikers England have ever had so to even be in that category is nice for me. 

"But for sure, I want to keep pushing myself, see how far I can go, and so far it's been a good start to the season."

Kane's talismanic display followed another record-breaking performance last week, when he surpassed Sergio Aguero to become the highest Premier League goalscorer for a single club in a win over Wolves. 

Meanwhile, having taken 10 points from their first four Premier League games, Spurs have made their best start since they opened the 2009-10 campaign with four consecutive victories.

They have also gone unbeaten through their first four league matches for just the second time in 13 seasons. The last time they did so, in 2016-17, Mauricio Pochettino led them to a second-placed Premier League finish.

And Kane believes Antonio Conte's men are well placed to push for major honours, adding: "I'm not going to rule anything out, but also I know there's a lot of top, top teams in the Premier League and the Champions League.

"Of course, we're aiming to be successful and win something, as I've said for a long, long time now. We just can't get carried away," he added.

"We've started really well, we've got a great squad and a great manager. I can feel amongst the fans a lot of excitement, which is great, but it's a marathon, not a sprint.

"There's a lot of games to play and we've just got to make sure we keep knocking them off and when we're not playing well, keep winning games.

"Obviously we've still got a World Cup, so after the World Cup, we'll see where we're at and go from there."

Kane was assisted by Dejan Kulusevski for the opener before nodding home Richarlison's terrific outside-of-the-boot cross for his second, as the former Everton man impressed after replacing Son Heung-Min from the bench.

With Son failing to find the net this season despite Tottenham's impressive form, Kane hailed the newfound competition in their attack. 

"If you want to be a top team, you're going to have to compete for every position. I think that's what we've created with the squad that we have now," Kane added.

"Richie, whenever he's had an opportunity to play, whenever he's trained, he's done really, really well. He's biting at the bit to play. We have a lot of games coming up so we're going to need everyone.

"I know Sonny might be frustrated with not scoring yet this season, but Sonny's a really important player for us and if we're going to achieve anything this year, we need him to keep doing what he's doing, working for the team. He'll pop up with goals, no doubt.

"When players are maybe not quite at it, you need players from the bench to make an impact and Richie's doing that.

"I think we've got a fantastic manager, we've got a really strong squad. I think we're going to need that squad over the next period until the international break because we've got a game every three or four days.

"It's really important that players coming in who haven't quite started a lot of games yet are ready, but yeah, we're in a good place."

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag should drop Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford for Monday's game with rivals Liverpool, according to Wayne Rooney.

United have made a slow start to life under Ten Hag, losing their first two games of the Premier League season, including a 4-0 humiliation at Brentford last weekend.

Much of the attention around the difficulties at Old Trafford has focused on Ronaldo, who reportedly wants to leave the club in search of Champions League football.

In his column for The Sunday Times, United's all-time top goalscorer Rooney expressed his belief that his former team-mate Ronaldo should be left out of the side, having previously said he thinks the club should agree to sell the Portugal international.

"The first priority is, against Liverpool, to just compete and have a go," he wrote. "Do that and the fans will accept it, even if United get beaten. Play like they did against Brentford, and United will suffer an even worse result than their 5-0 defeat by Liverpool last season.

"I don't expect that to happen, by the way – I can't see United winning, but I believe there'll be a reaction and they'll lose by the odd goal, or even snatch a draw.

"But I wouldn't play Cristiano Ronaldo, and I wouldn't play Marcus Rashford. If I was in Ten Hag's position my main concern would be getting energy on the pitch, and United's failure to recruit a No 9 means they relied on Ronaldo against Brentford, even though he hadn't trained a lot with the team. He looked like he needs time to get match fit.

"As for Marcus, I think he needs to do a lot of soul-searching and figure out what he wants, for his own good, before anything else. Because watching him is a real concern: he looks like he wants to be anywhere but on a football pitch. I haven't seen him smile on the field for a long time. His performances have dipped – he hasn't been selected by England for more than a year.

"I'm coming from a place of wanting the best for him. He's a lovely kid and a local lad who came through the ranks at United, who everyone wants to see doing well.

"But you look at the difference between Marcus now and when he first came into the team: the passion he showed, the smile on his face when he scored. It's night and day."

Rooney, whose D.C. United team suffered a 6-0 defeat at home to Philadelphia Union in Major League Soccer on Saturday, also gave his opinion on United's impending signing of Casemiro from Real Madrid.

The Red Devils have been linked with a move for Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona throughout the transfer window, but turned their attention to the Brazil international last week, agreeing a deal in principle with the European champions for a fee of around £60million (€70.7m).

Rooney is not sure if the 30-year-old is what his former club needs, though admitted he is a talented player.

"Casemiro will not be eligible to face Liverpool, which is a pity because he will undoubtedly improve United," he wrote. "He's a good player. I've played against him and he'll bring a bit of character, a bit of work rate, but is he exactly what United need? I'm not sure.

"This goes back to the need to look to the future. Ideally, they should be signing players in their early to mid-twenties, and Casemiro is similar to Christian Eriksen – someone who has been a good player, but are they going to help the club move forward? Frenkie de Jong, Ten Hag's principal midfield target, would be a better fit.

"The Casemiro deal seems to have come from nowhere, and looks a reactive signing – I'd be surprised if he was a player identified as a priority to bring in when Ten Hag arrived. It looks like, having been unable to sign De Jong, United just reacted to Casemiro being available."

Cristian Arango will be getting treated to dinner by his Los Angeles FC team-mate Kwadwo Opoku after the latter's winner against D.C. United.

Opoku – commonly known as Mahala – came off the bench to net his sixth MLS goal of the season on Tuesday to see off Wayne Rooney's team 1-0 in California.

That brought up a seventh straight league win for LAFC, who are well on course to win The Supporters' Shield.

Mahala's goal, the 15th scored by an LAFC substitute this season, came just five minutes after he entered the fray at Banc of California Stadium, with the hosts' leading scorer Arango turning provider.

Arango could have gone for goal himself after latching onto Carlos Vela's throughball, but instead squared for Mahala, who took a touch to steady himself before slotting into an open net.

When asked about Arango's assist, Mahala told LAFC's official broadcaster KCOP 13: "That's a great one, it's a team effort, as long as the team gets the three points, that's the most important thing. I need to buy him dinner!"

As they close in on the playoffs, LAFC look well set to go on and break the MLS regular-season points record, set by the New England Revolution last year.

"For me this is the best team I've played for," said Ilie Sanchez, who had spent the previous five seasons competing at the top end of MLS with Sporting Kansas City.

"The quality that we have in our squad is so broad. Every player that is out on the field is performing, doing a great job and the coaching staff are managing the situation perfectly. We need to improve more and more towards the playoffs."

Manchester United's all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney has advised the club to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to leave before the transfer deadline.

Portugal international Ronaldo is widely reported to be pushing for an exit from Old Trafford due to his desire to continue playing in the Champions League, though suitors have not emerged for his services.

Ronaldo missed the club's pre-season tour of Australia and the Far East due to personal reasons, with his pre-season action limited to just 45 minutes in a friendly against Rayo Vallecano last week.

In the build-up to United's Premier League opener against Brighton and Hove Albion, a lot of the talk has focused on Ronaldo's future and Rooney believes the right move would be for the club to approve an exit.

"I think United should let Cristiano Ronaldo go," he wrote in the Times.

"It's not that Ronaldo can't play in a Ten Hag team. He can play in any team. Ronny will always score you goals.

"But my personal view is that United aren't ready to challenge for the title now, so the aim has to be to build a team that can win the league in the next three to four years, and you have to plan for that.

"If the reports are true that Cristiano wants to leave the club, then United should allow him to go and get a number nine in who is going to be there for the next three or four years and really help them build a team that can be successful. Ten Hag has to be given time to do it."

New United manager Erik ten Hag insisted he is "really happy" to have Ronaldo in his squad, making it clear his preference would be for the experienced forward to remain.

"I am really happy he is here. We have a top striker. We stick to the plan," he said in a news conference.

Striker Christian Benteke has signed for D.C. United from Crystal Palace as he joins up with Wayne Rooney in MLS.

The 31-year-old has penned a two-and-a-half-year deal in the United States capital as he leaves the Premier League after 280 appearances in which he scored 86 goals.

He arrived in England 10 years ago, joining Aston Villa from Belgian side Genk before going on to score 42 times in 89 Premier League appearances for the Midlands club.

His prolific spell there earned him a big-money move to Liverpool, but he could only manage nine league goals for the Reds before making a switch to Palace in 2016.

Although he scored 15 top-flight goals in his first campaign at Selhurst Park, the Belgium international never quite recaptured his Aston Villa form and has now made the move to MLS.

D.C. United sit bottom of the Eastern Conference, with former Manchester United striker Rooney having taken over in July for the sacked Hernan Losada.

And Rooney is glad to have brought a player of Benteke's quality in, telling the club's website: "Christian is a top player who has played at the highest level for a long time.

"His experience and ability to score goals and help the team will be invaluable. It's exciting for the team and myself to get him in and playing. He will make a huge difference."

Wayne Rooney kept his belief in his DC United team as his coaching reign in MLS started in familiar fashion, with a dramatic late win over Orlando City.

Several highlights of Rooney's playing career with DC had come against Orlando.

The former England captain had five goal involvements in three meetings with Orlando, netting in both matches in 2019 – including a stunning strike from his own half.

But the most iconic moment of Rooney's MLS stint came in his first clash with the Lions in 2018.

The forward provided two assists, including a remarkable intervention to snatch a 3-2 win in the 96th minute, with Rooney tracking down a counter-attack – as Orlando's Will Johnson raced towards an open goal – and then crossing for Luciano Acosta's decisive header.

Sunday's coaching bow was similarly sensational, as DC still trailed to Junior Urso's early strike entering second-half stoppage time.

But a pair of late goals from Chris Durkin, in the 91st minute, and Taxi Fountas, in the 95th, ensured a winning start for Rooney, who had been confident the chances would come.

"I told them they'd win the game," Rooney said of his half-time message to the MLS strugglers. "I believed we'd win the game.

"But the one thing we had to do was up the tempo. We were moving the ball across the back and with the goalkeeper side to side, and it was too slow. We were allowing Orlando to shift across and not really making them run as hard as we wanted them to.

"That was the big difference second half, the tempo with which we moved the ball and really made Orlando suffer and work and run.

"When a team's doing that, then gaps appear. We have to take advantage of those gaps, and we did."

It was just the 10th instance in MLS history of a team trailing at the start of stoppage time and still winning, with DC accounting for three of those.

Rooney acknowledged the nature of the victory could be vital for confidence moving forward.

"'Character' is a big word I've used over the last couple of weeks with the team," he said. "We need to be a team which shows a lot of character and fight and togetherness."

Rooney added: "I think [it is important] for the players, more than myself. I think the players needed that.

"This season has to start now. They've had some bad results in the first half of the season, and I think tonight the fashion we won the game – coming from a goal behind, scoring two late goals, the subs who came on were excellent...

"But we've got another tough game on Wednesday. We can't rest and think we've won a game; we have to be consistent, we have to go on a run."

Wayne Rooney began his DC United reign with a dramatic comeback victory as two stoppage-time goals from his team secured a 2-1 victory over Orlando City.

The head coach watched on in a baseball cap as Chris Durkin and Taxiarchis Fountas struck late on, stunning an Orlando side who had led since the ninth minute after Junior Urso's sublime chipped finish.

Durkin fired DC level from close to the penalty spot in the first added minute after the regulation 90 was complete, finding the top-left corner with a first-time finish after meeting Ola Kamara's clever low cutback from the left wing.

A draw would have been a decent result for DC, who sit at the foot of the Eastern Conference, but it got even better as a superb goal won it. A volleyed cross from the left by Kimarni Smith was met 12 yards out by Fountas, and he deftly diverted the ball into the bottom-right corner. It was a team-leading 11th goal of the season for Fountas.

It meant that DC United won an MLS game after trailing at half-time for the first time since March 7 2020, when they did so against Inter Miami. That dismal 25-game barren run is over, with the Rooney impact already being felt.

The record goalscorer for Manchester United and England has joined DC – a team where he also had a two-season playing stint – after recently leaving English club Derby County.

Midfielder Ravel Morrison, recruited by Rooney, attempted 96 passes in the game, and that ranks as the highest total for a DC United player in MLS this season.

Orlando had not lost an away game in MLS when leading at half-time since September 22, 2019, the date they allowed a lead to slip against Houston Dynamo.

Wayne Rooney has moved to make former Manchester United midfielder Ravel Morrison his first international signing as D.C. United head coach.

Much-travelled Morrison scored four goals and assisted four more in 36 appearances playing under Rooney in the Championship last season.

A little over a week on from announcing the appointment of Rooney, who stepped down as Derby boss last month, United confirmed the arrival of free agent Morrison on Thursday.

The 29-year-old has signed for the MLS side until the end of the 2023 season, with the option of a further 12 months.

"Wayne worked closely with Ravel during his time as manager of Derby County," president of soccer operations Dave Kasper told United's official website. 

"Ravel is an incredible talent and his ability to create and score goals is impressive. 

"He has played at the highest levels during his career and his vision, creativity and ability on the ball will be a huge asset for us."

D.C. are the 13th different club of Jamaica international Morrison's career, which started in October 2010 when making his first of just three appearances for Man Utd's first team.

England women's coach Sarina Wiegman insists Ellen White deserves the same recognition as Wayne Rooney as the Lionesses' forward closes in on the national scoring record.

White was twice on target as England hammered Norway 8-0 as Wiegman's side recorded the biggest win in men's or women's European Championship history.

England also became the first team in any Euros to net eight goals as they sealed top spot and a place in the knockout stages.

While it was a successful outing in Brighton on a team level, White also moved just one strike behind Rooney's record 53 goals for England.

White was quick to insist that Rooney's benchmark is not her priority after the game, before online trolls posted unnecessary questions surrounding the validity of her record in the women's game.

Wiegman jumped to the defence of her star striker on Thursday as she spoke ahead of the group-stage clash with Northern Ireland, insisting talented ability is the same in the men's and women's game.

"I just talk to my squad and to Ellen. Everyone can have their opinion, but I think what she's done is amazing, really good," Wiegman told reporters.

"The player and person she is in our team – such an important role. What she has accomplished on the pitch and also off the pitch is really, really great, and she's so valuable for this team. So maybe I would say that to those people.

"It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman – if you're great, you're great.

"For her to have achieved that, and the success she's had over such a long time, that tells you everything you need to know.

"She's been fantastic for England for a very long time, so of course it's great to have her on my team."

White will hope to at least equal Rooney's record against Northern Ireland, who have lost all eight of their previous meetings with the Lionesses, scoring just two goals to England's 44 in the process.