‘I knew I had to go’… Wayne Rooney has just explained why he had to leave Everton

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The manner of Wayne Rooney’s exit is one which still frustrates Everton fans to this day.

After all, he was the quintessential starboy, greater than anything they had ever produced, and likely as good as they ever will do in the future.

The career he went on to enjoy only reinforced that.

And whilst the Toffees team of the time was hardly sparkling, he offered a glimmer of a brighter future at Goodison Park, built around his generational talent.

But, just two years after scoring that infamous winner against Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal, he was gone, sold to Manchester United for a mere £30m. 

Now, speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, he has sought to explain why he felt he had to leave Everton to further his career.

Wayne Rooney explains why he left Everton

After announcing himself on the scene with that aforementioned wonder strike, many likely envisioned it would not be long before the big clubs started circling.

Especially given Everton were hardly in a strong bargaining position, financially hamstrung and battling the drop.

As such, it should come as no surprise that the 38-year-old felt like he was the best player in the squad already, despite being a raw teenage prospect.

Few could really argue with that notion, which feeds into the reasons behind his eventual exit. He noted: ‘I’ve said this a few times, when I went in to train with Everton’s first-team, and this weren’t being disrespectful, I honestly believed I was the best player in the team when I first went in. It was an ageing team, we were fighting relegation, we weren’t the best team.

‘But I felt I was the best player and when I got in, started playing a few games, then I was playing for England, I knew I had to go and I always used to enjoy watching Manchester United growing up and I knew that was the club I wanted to go to.’

Everton’s academy has never come close to Rooney

Admittedly, Everton’s academy is one of the most famed in England.

However, that reputation is largely upheld through the emergence of Rooney, who remains one of Manchester United and England’s greatest-ever players.

He finished his time playing having won it all, and many will be hard-pressed to enjoy half as successful a career.

Therefore, this academy which has consistently produced proven Premier League talent like Leon Osman, Ross Barkley, Francis Jeffers and Anthony Gordon over the years, is unlikely to ever come close to Rooney.

That is what made his sale all those years ago so frustrating, and why Bill Kenwright was plagued with the enforcement of that decision for the decades that followed.