Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has advised teammate Wayne Rooney against leaving Old Trafford this summer. He said the England striker should learn from Cristiano Ronaldo's experience after his transfer to Real Madrid in 2009.
"I think when someone is at your club who has been there for the length of time he [Rooney] has been there, he's more than clued up to understand the dynamics of the club," said Ferdinand. "He's mature enough now and old enough to make his own mind up. I'm sure in time he'll have his say."
For Ferdinand, the main aim is to win trophies and the ex-England international believes United is the best team to start with.
"I don't see where you go better from here," he explained. "For instance, Cristiano [Ronaldo] has been ridiculous as a football player individually but has he won more trophies since leaving than what we've won? That's the way I look at it."
"I wouldn't say that he shouldn't have gone there; it was his dream to go there, so you have to respect that," Ferdinand continued. "But I just look at things in a plain, black and white way - I want to win trophies so why would I leave here?"
Rooney has been linked with moves to virtually all of Europe's top clubs. Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal and Bayern Munich have all been mentioned as possible destinations, despite manager David Moyes insisting that Rooney is not for sale.
Ferdinand, formerly of Leeds United, is happy to stay at United for the rest of his career.
"I've had loads of offers over the years to go to other football clubs and there's been loads of speculation in the papers every other year, but I've never really wanted to go anywhere," he said.
Vindication for his decision to stay at the club can be found in his trophy cabinet, where the 34-year-old defender holds six Premier League winners medals and one European Cup medal.
