The Everton skipper was sensational against West Ham United.
Wayne Rooney’s latest Everton performance showed what the 32-year-old is still capable of, despite some of his doubters writing him off in his final months at Manchester United and then again when he opted to return to Goodison Park last summer.
But while the Everton skipper scored a hat-trick in the 4-0 victory against West Ham United on Wednesday evening, that performance highlighted just how ineffective he and many of his Toffees teammates had been earlier in the campaign.
It could rightly be argued that at least Rooney scored some goals under the ill-fated tenure of Ronald Koeman, but his performance against the Hammers was another level, and if he had led by that kind of example earlier, Everton may not be in the current predicament.
With new boss Sam Allardyce sitting on high, it was no surprise that Everton’s previously underwhelming stars suddenly found another gear, while West Ham’s own dire form cannot be ignored. But Rooney should have been playing like this every week, not just when a new man with a history for shaking things up and taking no rubbish finally rocks up on Merseyside.
It seems Everton have finally turned a corner, one just wonders what might have been if they had played that way from the start.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
