Wayne Rooney has been hailed as a "true great" by the man he replaced as Manchester United's record goalscorer. Rooney scored with a brilliant free-kick in stoppage-time Saturday to earn United a 1-1 Premier League draw at Stoke. It was his 250th goal for the club, moving him past Bobby Charlton at the top of the all-time scoring list. "I would be lying to say that I'm not disappointed to have lost the record," Charlton told United's website. "However, I can honestly say that I'm delighted for Wayne. He deserves his place in the history books. "He is a true great for club and country, and it is fitting that he is now the highest goalscorer for both United and England. "Wayne is only 31 and still going strong, so I don't think he's done by a long stretch. "Now he's the man to beat, and I can't see anybody doing that for a long, long time." Rooney previously surpassed Charlton's record of 49 goals for England in 2015 and his international tally now stands at 53. And while he felt great pride in his latest accomplishment, there was also a bit of frustration as United had to share the points on the day. "It's a proud moment for me and a huge honour to get that record, just a bit dampened by the result," he said. "It's about a career and I still feel there's a lot more to come, but overall it's a really proud moment for me." Former manager Alex Ferguson, who signed Rooney as an 18-year-old from Everton in 2004, said the striker has unequivocally earned his spot among the United greats. "It is no mean feat to score so many goals and he breaks a record that has stood for over 40 years," he told the club's website. "Wayne thoroughly deserves his place in the history books of this great club and I am sure that he will go on to score many more goals. "Well done Wayne, I am absolutely delighted for you, you have been a great servant to this club and long may it continue." Rooney actually bagged two records on the day as it was also his 88th away goal in the Premier League, one more than Alan Shearer. "@England's best goalscorer. @manutd best goalscorer. @WayneRooney What a player. What a career. Congratulations!," Shearer said on Twitter. Rooney had gone three games since equalling the mark against Reading in the FA Cup on January 7. And while manager Jose Mourinho praised the milestone, he expressed a bit of relief that the chase was finally over. "The achievement is wonderful – it stays in the history of our club for many years," he said. "He's a legend in the history of the club and in English football. "The record is in his pocket so I just want him now to be a normal player and try to score more goals for us. "I know it is something not to forget and it's an amazing achievement, an amazing moment for him, but now life goes on".
