Manchester Utd v Everton
FOOTBALL Sky Sports Main Event HD & Sky Sports Premier League HD, kick-off 4pm Wayne Rooney will be hoping to put his personal woes aside as he takes on his former club.
Sunday, Sky Sports Premier League HD & Sky Sports Main Event HD, kick-off 4pm
TWO OF FOOTBALL’S biggest names are set to face their former clubs on Sunday afternoon when high-flying Manchester United host Everton at Old Trafford.
This summer saw the two sides swap strikers with United boss José Mourinho signing Toffees frontman Romelu Lukaku for £75million, while Wayne Rooney moved the other way, returning to Everton.
DRIVING CHARGE
Although Rooney faces a drink-driving charge that means he might miss the clash (he appears in court on Monday), both clubs have good reason to be pleased with the transfers.
After scoring 25 goals in the Premier League last season, Lukaku has continued where he left off, scoring twice on his debut as United beat West Ham 4-0. The 24-year-old Belgian has settled into the United team with ease – and he has no bigger admirer than the man he replaced in the red shirt.
‘He is the perfect player,’ says Rooney, who spent 13 years with the Red Devils, becoming the club’s all-time record goalscorer. ‘Romelu is powerful, quick and strong, and he scores goals. He’ll certainly improve the team.’
BELOVED BLUES
Rooney struggled for playing time under Mourinho last season and returned to Merseyside in a bid to play more, as well as trying to win a trophy with his beloved Blues.
So far, things are going well. Welcomed home by the Goodison faithful, he scored in his first game back as Everton beat Stoke City 1-0. ‘I’ve felt at home since I first stepped in the training ground, and it was a special moment for me,’ he said. ‘There was a lot of emotion.’
Since then he’s scored the 200th Premier League goal
of his career in the 1-1 draw at Manchester City, and signalled his commitment to Everton by announcing his retirement from international football.
So who will get the upper hand? Recent history suggests United, with Everton winning just once at Old Trafford in the league since 1992. But whatever the result, it promises to be an intriguing showdown.