Tuesday 11 July 2017

Wayne Rooney: Once A Blue, Always A Blue



On Sunday 9th July 2017, Everton Football Club announced that they had signed Wayne Rooney on a free from Manchester United.



Rooney, now 31, left Everton for United for £27 million back in 2004 and went on to become their highest-ever goalscorer, with 253 goals, and won every available trophy to him at Old Trafford, including five Premier League trophies and the Champions League.


He is a legend of English Football and will undoubtedly by missed by United fans for all the spectacular goals that he's scored for them over the years.



He's decided to return to Everton, on a significant pay-cut to £150,000, and said:

 "It's a great feeling to be back. I cannot wait to meet the lads, get on the training pitch and then get on the pitch to play. I'm not just coming back because it's the team I support, the team I grew up playing for - I'm coming back because I feel the club can move forward and be successful."

The transfer has come in the aftermath of Everton's biggest ever summer transfer spending, after buying Jordan Pickford, Michael Keane, Sandro Ramirez and Davy Klaassen.


Whilst the nostalgia factor has captured the media and the fans' attention, one thing that has been noted about this transfer is how Everton are supposed to benefit from signing the former England captain.

In 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson wrote:

 "Wayne had a gift for producing great moments in games. In my final year, when he was left out a few times, and replaced in games, I felt he was struggling to get by people and had lost some of his old thrust. But he was capable of making extraordinary contributions. 

 That pass to Van Persie in the win over Aston Villa that secured the title for us was marvellous, as was his overhead kick against Man City. Those flashes guaranteed his profile. But as time wore on, I felt he struggled more and more to do it for 90 minutes, and he seemed to tire in games."




The counter argument to this is that unless you're in the top five players in the world, you're not going to be able to play at the same level you were four or five years ago.

Rooney definitely isn't as fast as he used to be and nor does he complete ninety minutes.

In typical Internet fashion, people are looking at what he can't do anymore instead of what he can do. Rooney can still play quality passes, score from anywhere and be a leader in the dressing room not only for the new young players but for the experinced players who may need that confidence boost in tough in-game situations.


Of course Rooney isn't going to finish top goalscorer. He's not going to be in the running for the PFA (Professional Football Association) Player of the Year award or be competing with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the Ballon d'Or next January.

He will however be an important part of Everton's chase for Champions League Football and whether you see his move back to Goodison as unfinished business or a step back for the Merseyside club, you can't deny that the Croxteth native has always been a blue.







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