Jose Mourinho reveals Wayne Rooney admiration

London: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed his admiration for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

It emerged back in May that the Blues, along with Arsenal, were in the hunt to sign the former Everton star, whom Sir Alex Ferguson revealed had requested to leave the club last season. After missing out on the signing of Falcao, who sealed a big-money move to Monaco at the start of the transfer window, Mourinho is in the market for a marquee striker to lead his attack next season. And speaking in Bangkok at the start of the club`s pre-season tour of Asia, the Blues boss insists he`s a big fan of England forward Rooney. He said: "Rooney is a player I like very much but I can say no more than that. Being fast and direct, I like that, but he`s a Manchester United player." David Moyes and the Manchester United squad are also in Thailand for their pre-season preparations although Rooney has been forced to return to England having picked up a slight hamstring injury on the first day of training. The 27-year-old`s future at Old Trafford remains unclear, and despite refusing to confirm that Rooney had expressed a desire to stay at the club, Moyes has previously insisted that the striker will not be allowed to leave. Goal.com