Clarence Seedorf was "flattered" when Wayne Rooney labelled him the
best player he has faced and admits he is also a huge fan of the
striker.
But the AC Milan midfielder does not believe the Italian
giants need to man-mark Manchester United's in-form England star
when the two teams meet in their heavyweight Champions League
clash.
Seedorf and Rooney will be in opposition on Tuesday when
United face Milan at the San Siro in the first leg of their last-16
tie.
Rooney has said Seedorf "is probably the best player I've
ever played against" and described the Dutch midfielder's
performance for Milan against United in the 2007 semi-finals as
"unbelievable".
Seedorf said: "I was really flattered by those words and
thank him.
"I'm a big fan of him, he's such a generous player and a
quality player and hearing those words from him meant a lot to me."
Seedorf stressed he would not make special plans to handle
Rooney, or any other player.
"I've never believed in containing a single player because no
single player has ever alone made the difference. It's a team
effort, it's a team performance," he said on BBC Radio Five Live's
Sportsweek programme.
"Then of course we know there is a lot of individual quality
there and I would say Rooney is a player that is very much a team
player with incredible individual skills.
"So we have to be sure that we play the game as we want and
impose our game, so we can reduce the importance of the individuals
that are on the other side."
Milan could include former United midfielder David Beckham in
their line-up on Tuesday, and Seedorf has no doubt the one-time Old
Trafford icon is relishing the two matches.
And he urged Beckham to enjoy the moment if he scores against
his former club.
Beckham recently said he would not celebrate a goal against
United but Seedorf said: "Scoring a goal in the Champions League is
a special moment and a special emotion and I think you should be
joyful.
"Celebrating your goal doesn't mean you're being
disrespectful to the team you've played for for so long."
