SCARS AND STRIPES
Rooney still feels the hurt of his Everton snub.. but he’s determined to bounce back and be a big success Stateside
WAYNE ROONEY is still in the dark as to why Everton wanted rid of him.
The former England captain makes his DC United debut in the early hours of tomorrow, still hurt at the manner of his exit from his beloved Everton just a year after returning from Manchester United.
Rooney was their top scorer with 11 goals during last season’s traumatic campaign and says he does not understand why they let him go.
“For whatever reason, I still don’t know,” he told ESPN FC. “I felt I was doing OK.
“I was top goalscorer playing most of the season from midfield, so…
“Everton made it clear towards the end of the season that they’d be happy for me to leave.
“But that’s football. That gave me a decision to make and I made this decision.
“I said to Everton, ‘Listen, I’m not a kid and if this is what you want, tell me. If you want me to stay, tell me’. They told me and I said, ‘Fair enough’. I’m not going to disrespect the football club. “So this option became available as well as a few different ones and I just felt this was the right one.” Despite his obvious hurt at having to leave Goodison Park, Rooney claims he has not joined struggling DC bearing a grudge. He says he just wants to play regularly and feels that at 32 he can make an impact in the MLS. “I don’t think it’s a chip on my shoulder, it’s a determination to win and to play,” said Rooney, whose debut coincides with the opening of DC’s new Audi Field stadium against Vancouver Whitecaps. “I think, 32, obviously it’s getting on a bit, but it’s not 35, 36. I think it’s the right time for me to come here and have an impact on this league, to show the league the respect it deserves.” Rooney’s decline has been steep and he might have expected to captain England in the World Cup after being Sam Allardyce’s main man at the start of the qualifying campaign 22 months ago.
However, he congratulated Gareth Southgate’s side on reaching the semi-finals and claimed he was not surprised by their success.
“If you go back two years, I remember I was captain and saying these players are a very talented group of players and will be successful for England if we give them time,” added Rooney (left, with former Everton teammate Jordan Pickford).
“It may be a little bit sooner than I thought, but the players have progressed at club level, so I wasn’t surprised, no.”
Read and watch the full interview at www.espn.co.uk
Everton made it clear they would be happy for me to leave, that’s football