Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has admitted that his side are frightened of playing against Manchester United star Wayne Rooney.
The Eagles welcome the Red Devils to Selhurst Park on Wednesday evening in a hope to progress from their frantic draw against Hull City at the weekend.
Pardew’s men have a dull record against Jose Mourinho’s side and were defeated 2-1 in the FA Cup final last season by United.
The Red Devils have since pumped money into their team with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan all arriving at Old Trafford in the summer transfer window.
However, Pardew has admitted that it is Rooney who his team are frightened of, with the England international expected to start at Palace.
“With Rooney I tend to think if you’re on the opposite side, you don’t want to see him on the teamsheet. He’s a great player,” Pardew said.
United go into the game on the back of a huge confidence-boosting 1-0 victory against Tottenham Hotspur and they are able to stretch their unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions with a fine result in south west London.
However, Mourinho will not have duo Luis Antonio Valencia and Mkhitaryan to choose from though.
By Drew Darbyshire (@DarbySports)
