Everton Coach: ‘Rooney would make us stronger’
“I believe that Wayne Rooney is still playing at a high level,” the Dutchman told Sky Sports (via the Guardian).
Rooney, now 31, has struggled for both form and playing time at Old Trafford this season, scoring only two Premier League goals and falling out of the starting lineup. He has been made a number of offers by Chinese league clubs, only to turn them down.
Even when Red Devils star Zlatan Ibrahimovic was busy scoring the winner in Sunday’s EFL Cup final against Southampton, Rooney could be seen celebrating… on the sideline, ready to come on.
The goal resulted in Marouane Fellaini being thrown on instead.
“I think he made a good choice to stay at Manchester United and in the Premier League because he has still two or three years in front of him to play on a high level,” Koeman continued.
“What will happen at the end of the season? I don’t know, but in my opinion he is one of the players who can make Everton more stronger.
It’s all about what the player likes, what Manchester United needs to do, and we are not involved in that project. But every player that we at Everton think can make the team stronger is welcome to Everton".
The Croxteth native joined the Everton academy when he was nine years old, making his first-team EPL debut in the 2002-2003 season.
After scoring fifteen league goals for the Toffees, Rooney left for Manchester United for £25.6 million. 180 league goals later, the 31-year-old could be looking for a new adventure.
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