WAYNE ROONEY revealed how he used to cheat the bleep test at Manchester United and smirked: “I was clever.”
Rooney, 40, is the Red Devils’ record goalscorer with 253 goals.
He won 16 trophies in 13 years at Old Trafford – including five Premier League crowns.
But for all his obvious qualities, Rooney was never known for his speed or fitness.
And that enabled him to get away with flunking the dreaded bleep test.
Rooney, who is deaf in one ear, told his BBC show: “I was clever on the bleep test.
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“So I used to drop out just after the goalkeepers.
“Because then the next time you do it, I knew I’d just have to go a little bit more to beat myself.
“So I used to think about it.
“I’d never drop out before the keepers but as soon as the keepers drop out.”
Asked if Sir Alex Ferguson clocked what was happening, Rooney added: “There was a few of us [outfield players] who had the same ideas as well.
“I used to drop out and say, ‘I’m struggling.’”
But while Rooney and his cheeky cronies refused to put in maximum effort, there was always one man standing at the end.
The former United captain was quizzed on the best athlete in that star-studded squad.
What is a bleep test?
THE bleep test, also known as the multi-stage fitness test, is a cardiovascular endurance assessment where participants run continuous 20-meter shuttles between two points or lines in time with recorded audio signals.
As the test progresses, the “bleeps” become progressively faster, requiring runners to increase their speed at each level until they can no longer maintain the pace or reach the line before the bleep.
It is primarily designed to estimate an individual’s maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max), providing a standardised measure of aerobic capacity and overall physical stamina.
He replied: “Darren Fletcher, he was the fittest with all the running.
“Fletch would always finish it.
“Every time he does it, he’s got to finish it.”
Fletcher, 41, retired in 2020 and returned to United.
He has held various roles including first-team coach and technical director and was recently caretaker boss after Ruben Amorim’s sacking before returning to Under-18s manager.
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