Ryan Giggs predicts former Manchester United teammate Wayne Rooney will be as successful as a manager as he was on the pitch.
Rooney won five Premier League titles and the Champions League among a host of other trophies during 13 years with United, before returning to boyhood club Everton.
After a spell in the MLS with DC United, Rooney is now back in England as a player-coach at Derby County, as the 34-year-old works towards following in the footsteps of his long-time mentor Sir Alex Ferguson.
And Giggs, who is manager of the Wales national team, says it was always obvious from their time together at United that Rooney had the right attributes to go into coaching.
"I know Wayne was keen," Giggs told The Athletic.
"When I was at United, towards the end, he was starting his badges.
"We would see him doing his practical sessions. I spent a lot of time (with Louis van Gaal) in the analysts' office, where we used to analyse the opposition.
"Wayne would come in quite a bit. He wanted to study, he wanted to work. And he's a football man. Football-wise, he knows what he's talking about."
Giggs says the fact that Rooney played under legendary United boss Ferguson, and later Jose Mourinho, will be a huge benefit as he pursues his dream of being a manager.
"Some people say, as I've found out, that being a good player doesn't always make (a good manager)," said Giggs, United's most decorated player with 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League triumphs among his trophy haul.
"But if you love the game, and you're prepared to put in the work, our advantage is having played at the top level. He has worked under Sir Alex. Then his international managers.
"He was there when Jose was there, and now another Dutch coach (Derby manager Phillip Cocu). So he will have had different ways of working, which can also help."
