Man United legend was asked to tap up Rooney and bring him to Old Trafford

One of the finest midfielders of his generation, the Englishman won 25 trophies, including 11 Premier League titles, in a decorated 20-year career with the Red Devils.

One player who was by Scholes' side for a considerable chunk of this success was United's all-time record goalscorer Wayne Rooney.

The pair played alongside each other for nine years, winning countless honours together, namely five league titles and the 2008 Champions League.

And Scholes will likely feel responsible in some way for Rooney's achievements at Old Trafford, having played a key role in bringing him to the club in 2004.

The Red Devils icon has revealed he was tasked with convincing an 18-year-old Rooney to swap Merseyside for Manchester, who went on to sign from Everton in a £27million deal.

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Appearing on The Overlap's Fan Debate, Scholes smiled as he admitted: "I tapped Wayne Rooney up.

"I did get asked to make a make a phone call to him at his house, so I rang him.

To this, co-host Jamie Carragher asked him: "How did that go?"

Scholes replied whilst laughing: "Well he signed for us. I didn't get any f****** reward for it!"

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This isn't the first-time Scholes has discussed his secret role in recruiting the former United captain.

In November, he opened up on the details of his conversation with Rooney, having been put up to the task by legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Speaking on Football's Greatest podcast, Scholes revealed it took very little to persuade Rooney to join the English giants.

He explained: "I was a small part of that actually because we played with Wayne for England and the manager asked me to ring him.

"The manager sent me his phone number and [said]: 'I want to sign him'. I rang him at home, it's weird because I never spoke to him before, I'd only seen him for a day at England.

"I said: 'Wazza it's Scholesy, the gaffer really wants you, he's desperate to sign you, what do you think?'

"He said: 'Yeah, yeah, yeah I'd love to come', straight away."

And United and Scholes were certainly handsomely rewarded on the pitch for their efforts in snapping up Rooney.

The then-teenager proved an instant success at Old Trafford, scoring 17 goals in all competitions in his first season.

Rooney went on to enjoy an illustrious 13-year career with the club, during which time he picked up 13 major trophies, adding the FA Cup and Europa League to his multiple Premier League titles.

The ex-Plymouth Argyle boss also scored an unmatched 253 goals for the Red Devils, overtaking the late Sir Bobby Charlton's record.

Following the end of his United career, Rooney returned to first club Everton, where he notched 10 league goals in 31 games, before joining DC United in the MLS, and later ending his career at Derby County.