After a turbulent season for Manchester United, Wayne Rooney looks set to leave the club he joined in 2004 under Sir Alex Ferguson, to return to the team he supported throughout his youth.
Rooney at United
Under Sir Alex, Rooney won 5 Premier League titles, a Champions League winners medal, League Cups and Community Shields as well as becoming the club's highest ever goalscorer. Aged just 31, Rooney probably has a few seasons left in him at the top level and he has made it clear that he still wants to be considered by Gareth Southgate for international duty in the World Cup in 2018.
After the appointment of Jose Mourinho to the manager's role at Manchester United, it quickly became apparent that Wayne Rooney was not going to figure in his plans. In the early season, Mourinho attempted to shoehorn Rooney into his starting lineup but with Zlatan Ibrahimovic proving what a signing he was, Rooney was left struggling to retain a first team place as the main striker.
The move to Everton
Even though there was talk earlier in the season of Rooney being tempted by offers of huge money to play in China, the lure of regular first team premier league action was too much of a draw. Ronald Koeman has built a strong young squad at Goodison Park, with the promise of European football next season, and the addition of an experienced leader like Rooney was not to be sniffed at.
It does mean though that Rooney will be taking a drastic pay cut but at £150,000 a week he need not worry about finding a second job just yet.
There has been much talk of Manchester United paying up to £100 million for Everton's current number 10 Romelu Lukaku who would be a direct replacement for the absent Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Lukaku enjoyed a fabulous season in 2016-17 with Everton scoring 25 goals and has courted interest from several clubs.
The Everton connection
Many of United's stars have gone on to play for the 'other' Merseyside team, knowing the animosity between United and Liverpool, Tom Cleverley, Phil Neville and Morgan Schneiderlin amongst them, and remembering what a great player the young Rooney was there should be little worries about him being accepted.
Ronald Koeman has found himself a player who, even at 31, is still hungry for success, still a great player and capable of regular first team appearances at Premier League level and is not prepared to sell his soul to the highest bidder overseas. Rooney was a blue first and he is a blue again now and there will be none more pleased than Wayne Rooney himself.
