Codie put his shirt on Rooney’s Blues return

AYOUNG Everton FC fan had the last laugh after getting “Rooney” printed on the back of his Everton shirt – a month before his surprise homecoming.

Last month, Codie GaskellMooney, from Skelmersdale, was so convinced the forward would return to Goodison, he asked for the name on his new shirt.

At the time, staff at the store tried to discourage him – as Rooney was still playing for Manchester United – but the 11-yearold was adamant that his hero would be making a return.

Now his prediction has come true – and he’s absolutely over the moon.

His mum, Claire, said: “He usually gets his surname, but I told him to get a player’s name and he said he wanted Rooney.

“Even though he knew he didn’t play, he said, ‘He’s a legend. I want it anyway.’

“The people in the shop warned him before it went on, saying, ‘Once it’s done it’s done, you can’t change it’ – but it turns out he was right.”

Since the transfer was officially confirmed by the club, Claire says Codie has been “over the moon”.

She added: “All he keeps saying is, ‘I told you so, I told you so.’ Now I’m going to ask him to predict the lottery numbers!”

The keen footballer opted to get the number 12 on the back of his shirt – the number of goals he has scored for his youth teams – despite Rooney previously wearing the 18 jersey at Goodison Park, and now taking the number 10 shirt previously worn by Romelu Lukaku.

And Codie’s week got even better, when he was among scores of Everton fans who met Rooney as he returned to his boyhood club on Sunday.

Claire said: “He was jumping for joy.

“He went in and met Wayne, got pictures with him and had a chat, he was absolutely beaming.”

Codie was then invited to attend Rooney’s first official press conference.