"Remember the name, Wayne.....something."
Everton boss David Moyes has hinted that one day Wayne Rooney could return to his boyhood club.
Speaking ten years on from when the then 16 year-old Rooney burst onto the scene with a stunning winner against high-flying Arsenal Moyes said:
“I always say Wayne Rooney helped me as a manager. He got my name out there. I was the manager who was playing Wayne Rooney and for that I’ll always be grateful that Wayne was at Everton when I arrived. I was able to put him into the team and all the media and public saw one of England’s finest, if not their finest player. It helped my profile and I think it helped Everton as well. It drew more attention to them. I have a lot to be thankful to Wayne Rooney for, for being on the doorstep when I walked in here.”
Despite rumours Rooney had fallen out with his former boss Moyes was full of praise for his former star striker:
“I think he has gone on to be the player we hoped he would be. He has been an exceptional player, at the very top, for 10 years. He has won a European Cup and titles and other cups. It’s not his fault England aren’t doing as well as people would like. Generally England haven’t done that well for a long time.
“It has been interesting watching him develop. A lot of people said David Moyes couldn’t control or handle Wayne and he’d be better going off to Sir Alex at Manchester United, but I think Sir Alex has had his problems with him as well at times.”
Tellingly Moyes thinks Rooney who’s a life long Evertonian, could end up back in a blue shirt one day, noting:
“I would definitely welcome Wayne returning here. It’s in his blood,”
“But it’s probably more likely to be later on in his career. I think it might be something that he’d even welcome.”
United fans will be hoping that’s much, much later in his career.
Later as in never