WAYNE ROONEY ADMITS he questioned whether he deserved to lift the EFL Cup and Europa League, having expected to leave Manchester United from November last year.
Everton brought Rooney back to Goodison Park on Sunday on a two-year deal, ending the former United captain’s 13-year Old Trafford career.
Rooney leaves United as their record scorer with 253 goals in 559 appearances, having won five Premier League titles and the Champions League among 12 major trophies.
The last of those honours came in Rooney’s final United appearance as Ajax were beaten in the Europa League final, but the forward says he already knew he would be leaving when celebrating that triumph, having been restricted to 15 league starts during his last term.
Rooney explained: “It was just a frustrating time. The hardest thing was lifting the two trophies – the League Cup and the Europa League.
You don’t feel like you (deserve it) because you haven’t been part of the game. That was hard to do; you’re naturally happy because you have won but you don’t celebrate it as much.
“It is just frustrating if you are not playing. The lads who play were having two-day recovery sessions while all the lads who were on the bench and not in the squad were training together, so you’re not really training with the first team.
“It was around November I knew (an exit was likely).
I spoke to Jose in January to see what his opinions were and he always said he wanted me to stay and help the team until the end of the season. I did that.
“I helped in the games he put me in but I knew I had to leave to move forward for my career. It was a sad moment because I had been at the club for 13 years but I had to think of my career as well.”
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Really hope POC can jump start the line out & maul & turn them back into attacking platforms again. Will be interesting to see where the pack are at the end of the 6 nations.
Will certainly enjoy the ride.
I have never met anyone who considers him a better bet to start at loose head than Cian Healy
@Mark Smith: he’s better off the bench anyway he has that explosive ball carrying ability for the last 20.
Seems to have banished that wildness he had when he was younger as well.
@Mark Smith: agreed, outside of Munster that is not remotely true. There was a time where Jack McGrath was the leading loosehead in the country, and Healy rediscovered his mojo again as McGrath went off the boil post Lions tour. But despite the cool nickname “Killer’s” best form has been with Munster not Ireland…
@Mark Smith: Cian Healy has been a great servant but is on the slide.Kilcoyne’s form before his injury was very good and his scrummaging has improved over the years.If given the chance I do believe he will displace Healy as number 1
@Stephen Garry: he won’t. The Leinster assembly line of Academy developed talent will just produce another prop. Or Porter will fill that slot. “Killer” has had enough chances and not delivered at the level expected unfortunately.
@Mark Smith: I 100% believe that he should’ve started ahead of Healy at the last World Cup. Form for Munster and Ireland were ahead of Healy’s without doubt. That being said, the difference was marginal with Kilcoyne being maybe 10% a better option. With Healy’s history, experience, and earned trust, he wasn’t going to be dropped for a 10% differential. Who knows if Kilcoyne could’ve finally displaced him after the RWC as his injuries curtailed him along with Healy actually improving. Still, it’s an amazing situation we find ourselves in to have no real loss of talent if our incumbent is injured.
@Mark Smith: Agreed. ‘Killer’ got destroyed by England when he came on last Feb despite being in the “form of his life.” It very much remains to be seen whether he is cut out for the international game.
Paul is world class, can’t wait to see the result of his input, true leader on and off the field. Let’s give him a bit of time and see if we get the line out motoring and add some new dimensions to our game.