Wayne Rooney can see his young self in Irish midfielder and Derby County teammate Jason Knight.
The former Manchester United striker has been up close and personal with the 18-year-old in recent weeks.
And Rooney has likened the midfielder, who has been playing his way into Stephen Kenny's Ireland Under-21 side, to his self that first burst onto the scene with Everton.
"I've been really impressed with the way they've trained, particularly Knighty. His energy, his attitude. He almost reminds me of myself when I was younger in terms of no fear," Rooney told Rams TV.
"And he's got an aggression about him, not in terms of how he's tackling, but in terms of how he runs, how he gets about the pitch. I'm looking forward to see how they do as I feel he can give us a lot of energy and a lot of creativity."
Derby first-team boss Phillip Cocu is also a big fan of Knight who has also made 13 league appearances for the Rams so far this season.
Cocu said of Knight: "Clever, energetic, technical ability is good. His running stats are unbelievable. What he covers in a game you rarely see, especially at this age.
"A typical box-to-box player. You can play him on the left wing, on the right wing, a defensive midfielder, he does the job. He's reliable."
Derby are languishing in 18th place in the Championship but Knight has really enjoyed working under Cocu.
Knight said: "The manager has been great with me from the first day of pre-season in Florida.
“He has worked really hard with all of us and especially the young players to try and develop us.
“I think also he has shown a lot of trust, putting us on in games when I suppose some managers wouldn’t.
“I think I will be a better player for the experiences I’ve had and it’s always drilled into us to work hard and the chances will come.”
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