Former England coach, Sven-Goran Eriksson, has urged Three Lions and Manchester United skipper, Wayne Rooney, to make a bold step by moving to the Chinese League.
Erikson who handed Rooney his first England cap in February 2003, believes the player would take Chinese football to another level if he were to join him at Shanghai SIPG after a plot was launched to bring the Manchester United striker to China.
According to The Sun, Chinese Super League chiefs are determined to bring Rooney to the country where he can end his career in a bid to establish the country as a major nation in football.
67-year-old Eriksson is already working in China, and he believes that should Rooney decide to leave the Premier League, China would be the perfect destination for him to expand the global brand of China’s top league.
“Football is becoming huge here and they have very big ambitions for the Chinese Super League,” said Eriksson.
“We already have famous players, like Robinho, Asamoah Gyan and Demba Ba, and they have brought something special.
“But of course Rooney is at another level.
“He is top, top, top — in the same category as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Everybody in China knows the superstar players like him. Rooney would take this league to another level, I have no doubt about that.”