Manchester United

Rooney: I can love referees

WAYNE Rooney revealed he is prepared to share the love with referees — provided they do the same.

The Manchester United striker saw a goal disallowed by Mark Halsey during the 4-0 win over West Brom two weeks ago.

But rather than rant and rave, Rooney claims his cool demeanour was down to the respect shown by the official.

He said: “You understand that referees make mistakes, players make mistakes.

“But it’s nice when they don’t completely cut you off.

“I like Mark Halsey as a referee. I thought I maybe should have had a goal in the first half, that it shouldn’t have been disallowed.

“He spoke to me and told me he thought there was enough contact on the defender. That was his decision and I said, ‘fair enough’.

“If you get a good relationship with a referee and they speak to you like that, it’s better for the player and the officials.”