Leighton Baines believes that Wayne Rooney will be an important player for Everton.
Leighton Baines believes that Everton’s new signing Wayne Rooney will bring a lot more to the team, both on and off the pitch.
Rooney returned to his boyhood club Everton last week after spending 13 successful years with Manchester United.
In between, the 31-year-old became the all-time leading goal scorer for United, and established himself as one of the greatest strikers in the Premier League era.
Everton’s Leighton Baines celebrates scoring their second goal
While Rooney is still a very good player, questions are raised over his sharpness and ability to produce moments of inspiration like before.
Baines, 32, feels that Rooney would bring a lot of quality to the side.
“It’s great, he’s a good lad and someone who a few of us are very familiar with of course!,” said Baines, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.
“He’s going to bring a lot to the team on and off the pitch, I’m sure of that.”
This has been a very busy transfer market for Everton. The Toffees sold last season’s club-top scorer Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United, and filled the void by signing Rooney and Sandro Ramirez.
It remains to be seen how Ronald Koeman uses Rooney and gets the best out of him. That he has taken a significant pay cut to join Everton suggests that there’s still hunger and desire in him to succeed at the top level.
England’s Wayne Rooney
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