Dubai: Photos have emerged of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney playing with a tiger and feeding a giraffe at a friend’s farm in Al Khawaneej during a short trip to Dubai last week.
Red Devils boss Louis Van Gaal allowed the 30-year-old Englishman to take a warm weather break with his wife Coleen after damaging his knee ligaments in last month’s 2-1 defeat away to Sunderland. Coleen is also recovering from giving birth to their third son Kit in January.
Rooney is expected to be back in action before the end of the month after being told he wouldn’t need to undergo surgery on his knee. The news means he can still feature in this summer’s European Championships in France where he is expected to captain England.
Mohammad Abbas, the brother of Al Nasr left back Hussain Abbas, was at the farm during Rooney’s visit and said he was impressed with the player’s attitude.
“Sometimes, you can tell if a person is arrogant from the way they talk, but Rooney is very down-to-earth and kind-hearted, I didn’t expect that,” he told Emarat Al Youm. “He spoke to us about his professional and personal life comfortably like any ordinary person.
“He told us about the players who he likes and who he hates, and he told us Cristiano Ronaldo is the best player he has ever played with.
“He loves his sons [Kai, Klay and Kit] so much. He told us he picks his son up from school every day and his children constantly ask him about the matches.
“One day, one of his son’s school friends asked him to sign his shirt while he was at the gate and he said he wasn’t allowed, so the next day the same child came with his shirt and pen in tears begging him for his signature.”
Video footage of the farm visit is also on the Emarat Al Youm website showing Rooney being taught the Arabic phrase As Salamu Alaykum, which means ‘Peace be upon you’.
