Crystal Palace are getting more and more attention from pundits these days.
Indeed, after winning the FA Cup, and going on a historic unbeaten run, many of the big names in football media are starting to wake up to the fact that this team is actually very good.
For a long time, some of Palace’s better players flew under the radar as they were overshadowed by the likes of Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze.
However, now, Marc Guehi is being recognised for his brilliance, while Adam Wharton is getting plenty of attention too.
Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast, Wayne Rooney has reserved some praise for another Palace player too.
Wayne Rooney hails Jean-Philippe Mateta
Rooney shared his verdict on Jean-Philippe Mateta as a player when speaking to Rio Ferdinand.
The pundit was discussing the lack of quality strikers in the game right now, but he said Mateta was a player he really likes.
“Mateta, I like Mateta. I just think he’s clumsy, he doesn’t look great on the eye, but he occupies defenders, he makes it a difficult game for defenders to try to deal with him,” Rooney said.
“That allows other players to come into the spaces, so I like him.”
Jean-Philippe Mateta’s record vs Manchester United
Of course, Wayne Rooney is best known as a Manchester United legend, and while he’s a fan of Mateta, he may not be too fond of what the Frenchman has done against the Red Devils in recent times.
Indeed, Mateta has been a thorn in Manchester United’s side in recent times.
In fact, the Frenchman has lost just one game against United in the Premier League, while he has a great goalscoring record against United too.
| Jean-Philippe Mateta’s record vs Manchester United | |
| Games | 6 |
| Wins | 3 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Losses | 1 |
| Goals | 3 |
Mateta has been brilliant against United over the years, and perhaps that’s how he’s caught Rooney’s eye.
