David Moyes was Wayne Rooney’s first mentor, who got him on the ladder to stardom at Manchester United.
The legend that is Rooney would not have had the career he’s gone on to have if it weren’t for the Scotsman.
Before making his mark on the biggest stage in Manchester, Moyes coached a 16-year-old Wazza who burst straight onto the scene with that goal against Arsenal.
Under the Toffees boss, Rooney admitted he watched Liverpool’s Jari Litmanen at Everton to improve his game, and it certainly worked.
After his £25.6 million move to Man United in 2004, we all know how well the forward did, but Moyes made something clear about his former Everton talent eight years later.
David Moyes said Wayne Rooney returning to Everton was in ‘his blood’ in 2012
Of course, the young Evertonian departed, but Moyes stayed, and with the England legend flourishing under Sir Alex Ferguson, the Everton manager made an intriguing prediction.
The Guardian in 2012 covered the Scotsman’s quotes, as he spoke on the United star ten years on after he announced himself to English football, claiming that he would return to Goodison Park one day.
“I would definitely welcome Wayne returning here. It’s in his blood,” said Moyes.
“But it’s probably more likely to be later on in his career. I think it might be something that he’d even welcome.”
This obviously came true in 2017 after he signed on a free transfer due to the expiry of his contract at the Red Devils, and made an instant impact in the 2017/18 season under Sam Allardyce.
Moyes didn’t get the chance to take on this Rooney, but if the 62-year-old remained in charge, things could have been a lot different for the Everton hero.
Wayne Rooney deserved to stay at Everton longer in second spell
Rooney shocked coaches as a youngster, and to be the greatest ever player to come out of Everton is some achievement.
His return was destined to happen, as the versatile attacker showed his worth in his second spell at Goodison.
| Games played | 31 |
| Goal involvements | 12 (10G+2A) |
| Chances created | 1.34 |
| Long ball accuracy % | 56.5% |
| Cross accuracy % | 35.5% |
Then at 33, he still showed his quality, and the former Toffees man even admitted he could have kept going.
Farhad Moshiri chose to let the forward go after just one season of his return, and Rooney didn’t want to leave Everton.
This seems like another of Moshiri’s wrongdoings, as it’s fair to say the United icon deserved a lot more time at the club in his second spell.
Nevertheless, the decision was made, and had he stayed, his legacy on the blue side of Merseyside could be much greater.
Moyes got it spot on about Rooney, and hopefully his intuition has remained intact for Everton’s future.
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