What was Wayne Rooney's first impression of training with D.C. United?
"The heat," Rooney said with a laugh. "I was just so hot, I was thinking, 'What am I doing?'"
The striker, who has 10 goals and seven assists since joining the club this summer, has helped push his new side from last place all the way above the playoff line in the Eastern Conference, with two games left to play. He revealed his initial misgivings about the Washington climate in a recent interview with his fellow Liverpudlian ex-pat, Roger Bennett, on a recent Men in Blazers podcast.
But Rooney explained his approach in adjusting to his overall surroundings, which included insisting on being treated like the rest of the D.C. squad, flying alongside his teammates and rooming with another player on the road.
"If you're going to be part of a team, you have to be part of the team, all in and do the same things," he said. "I don't want special treatment...It's not rocket science: If you can go and form relationships with players and speak to them, I know a lot of players who've come here, big players in other countries, and they haven't tended to form those relationships or buy in to what the team are doing. I think it's important. You do that, and you can have a big impact on the team."
You can catch the Men in Blazers TV special on Rooney, airing Monday at 5:30 pm ET on NBCSN.
