MOST defenders live in fear at the prospect of trying to stop the wonder of Wayne Rooney.
Sleepless nights and endless nightmares are just some of the side effects when even the top stoppers hear Manchester United are ready to call.
But Aberdeen’s Zander Diamond is different – he can’t wait to face the Old Trafford idol at Pittodrie tomorrow.
“It’s going to be tremendous to play against someone of Rooney’s standard,” said Diamond.
“I faced top strikers in the UEFA Cup last season like the Bayern Munich boys Luca Toni, Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski.
“Atletico Madrid also had some useful players.
“But this is totally different. This will test my skills to the full.
“We’re talking about the cream of the talent in European football.
“I respect all of the Manchester United players but don’t fear them not even Rooney.
“He’s a tremendous player with fantastic ability who is worth millions.
“He scores stunning goals but also has a great work ethic.
“You have to admire him for that because it would be so easy for a guy in his position to forget about working hard.
“If you watch him closely in matches that’s when you fully appreciate what he does off the ball.
“He received some pretty harsh criticism for not scoring enough goals.
“But he creates so many other chances for his team-mates that he’s always contributing in some way.
“It’s going to be tough matching his movement but I can only improve from playing against him.”
At 23, Dons vice-captain Diamond is a few months older than England ace Rooney.
Yet he’s honest enough to admit tomorrow will still be a sharp learning curve.
Even Dons boss Jimmy Calderwood has challenged his defensive rock to show he’s good enough to handle Rooney.
He added: “Just brushing shoulders with the Manchester United players is going to be great.
“It’ll be a real challenge, but one that I’m relishing.
“We can’t concern ourselves too much with the big reputations.
“We have to approach this match in a similar way to how we prepared for the UEFA Cup games.
“You can’t afford to stand off them or a team of United’s ability will just pick you off.
“No matter what we do we realise it’s going to be an extremely difficult game.
“It might only be a friendly but it’s always good to make a positive start when the games come round again.
“An encouraging performance could really set us up well for the rest of the season.”
While United’s sizzling strikers ultimately always steal the limelight, Diamond knows they are just one part of a hugely successful team.
And as a defender he will be keeping a close check on how United’s back four perform.
“Manchester United are packed with quality throughout the team. Rooney obviously grabs the headlines as he’s a real superstar.
“That’s before you even think that he’s likely to be partnered by Carlos Tevez, another top class international striker.
“But there’s top players like Rio Ferdinand in defence so they just don’t rely on one single player.
“Their midfield with guys like Paul Scholes, Michael Carrick and Owen Hargreaves isn’t too bad either.
“So there will be millions of pounds worth of talent on display but I want to prove my worth.”
Scotland under-21 cap Diamond is really starting to feel the hype now.
“When the fixture was first announced the excitement started to build even way back in March,” said Diamond.
“Hopefully, Sir Alex Ferguson will bring up the superstars who were so successful last season.
“It will be great to test yourself against the top class players United have in their team.”