Manchester United forward Odion Ighalo has labelled Wayne Rooney as an "idol" ahead of tonight's clash with Derby County in the FA Cup .
United will come face-to-face with their former forward at Pride Park as they look to book their place in the quarter-finals of the competition, with a tie against Norwich awaiting the winner.
Rooney made his return to English football in the January transfer window, joining the Rams in a player/coach role.
Ighalo also returned to England at the start of the year, moving to United on a six-month loan deal and could be set to feature against Rooney in Derbyshire.
The Nigeria international heaped praise on the United legend and believes his presence will give Derby confidence to cause an upset.
"Wayne Rooney is always an idol, like many players at United," he told ManUtd.com . "He’s a good guy.
"He is a fighter on the pitch, he fights until the end, from the start until the finish. He’s somebody I've seen that never gives up in the game, and he’s a good goalscorer.
"A little chance, a little space, he’s going to score. He can shoot from outside, he can score in the box, he can score from anywhere.
"He’s a great player. Good techniques, he has a good shot, good runs and, when Derby County have Wayne Rooney in their team, it gives them more confidence because he has done a lot in football and in England."
Ighalo has ambitions to play at Wembley again, having last featured there for Watford in a 2-1 defeat by Crystal Palace in the 2016 FA Cup semi-finals.
The forward revealed he was denied his dream of playing against United in the final.
He added: "That was my first time playing in Wembley, it was a great experience.
"United got to the final that year, I remember because I was hoping we would win against Crystal Palace so we could play against Man United in the final.
"That dream did not come to pass but it’s a great experience, you know. Playing in Wembley, not every player has the opportunity to play in Wembley in their career. You have to play in a cup game, a cup final or play for the national team to play there.
"I had the opportunity to play for Watford there in the semi-final, so it was a great experience and I’m looking forward, hopefully, to be playing there again."
