>From The Mirror online .......... Wayne Rooney was last night handed Manchester United's iconic No.10 shirt by Sir Alex Ferguson - who challenged his star striker to become an Old Trafford legend.
Rooney, who has worn the No.8 in his three seasons at United, will follow Reds heroes Denis Law and Ruud van Nistelrooy, who wore the shirt during their prolific spells at the Theatre of Dreams. Fergie wants Rooney to match or even surpass the goalscoring achievements of Law and Van Nistelrooy and has urged the 21-year-old to use the shirt to inspire him. Rooney, who scored 23 goals last season, said he was delighted at being handed the chance to emulate those who have worn the coveted shirt. He said: "When I was offered the chance to wear number 10 I jumped at it. "Some of the game's greatest players have become legends wearing number 10, none more so than Denis Law. It is a great honour for me to wear a shirt that has such history behind it." United boss Fergie said: "There have been some wonderful footballers who have worn the Manchester United number 10 shirt - people who capture the imagination of our fans with their skill and goals. "Wayne is the right man to carry on that tradition." Law - Fergie's favourite player - scored 171 goals in 309 appearances for United and was the club's leading European scorer until Van Nistelrooy broke his record in his five-year spell at Old Trafford. The change of number presents Rooney with one small problem - the number plate on his Aston Martin reads 'WAZ 8'. Nani is expected to be No.17, with fellow new signing Owen Hargreaves No.8. Anderson - granted a work permit yesterday - will choose 12 or 19. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
