It gets a bit shirty for Wayne
George Evans to swap shirts. But, the Manchester City graduate was having none of it and appeared to tell Rooney to wait his turn.
The pair later exchanged shirts in the tunnel, leaving Rooney to set his sights on taking Charlton’s record for himself – just as he has for England.
He said: “This is a proud moment for me, especially as I’ve done it at such a massive club like United.
“I’m hugely honoured to be able to play for this football club as it’s a huge part of my life. To be up there in terms of goals with Sir Bobby is an honour and a proud moment for me.
“Hopefully I’ll be there out on my own soon, but I’ll enjoy today because it’s a real honour.”
United face Hull in the semi-final of the League Cup on Tuesday before a Premier League meeting with Liverpool on Sunday.
Both games are at Old Trafford, and Rooney added: “Of course you want to break records in front of your home fans. We’ve got two home games coming up so hopefully I can get the next one in one of those.
“I’m delighted for today though – and more importantly the result.”
Both United boss Jose Mourinho and Reading manager Jaap Stam paid tribute to Rooney.
Mourinho said: “It is an amazing achievement because everybody knows who Sir Bobby is and what he means for the history of club and the history of English football.
“So for Wayne to score the same number of goals for United is fantastic.”
Stam, who played for United for three years, said: “Wayne has been a great player. He works very hard for the team as well as having great qualities.
“He is an outstanding player. It’s not a surprise he scores so many goals – even at 4-0 he was sprinting to get into the box.”
David Moyes, who sold Rooney from Everton to United, added: ‘I’m thrilled for Wayne. To even be mentioned in the same breath as Sir Bobby is a great achievement.”