Manchester United sold Wayne Rooney back to Everton earlier this month.
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has told The Mirror that he misses Wayne Rooney following the forward’s move back to Everton.
Rooney, 31, spent 13 years at Old Trafford following a 2004 move from Everton, and it’s fair to say that he was worth the money former boss Sir Alex Ferguson spent on him.
With five Premier League titles, three League Cups, the FA Cup, the Champions League and the Europa League to his name, Rooney won virtually everything there is to win during his time at United, whilst his personal achievements were remarkable too.
Everton’s Wayne Rooney scores against Gor Mahia
Not only did Rooney captain United for three years, but he also became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer earlier this year, beating Sir Bobby Charlton’s record with 253 goals in all competitions.
Rooney couldn’t nail down a regular spot in Jose Mourinho’s starting line-up last season though, and with first-team opportunities hard to come by, the England international has moved on.
An emotional return to boyhood club Everton was completed earlier this month, and Rooney has already made a strong start with two goals in three pre-season fixtures.
Many believe that Rooney could enjoy something of a renaissance now he’s back on Merseyside and playing regularly, with United boss Mourinho now telling The Mirror that he predicts Rooney will be ‘very, very good’ for Everton.
Mourinho did though add that he thinks Rooney is a ‘fantastic’ person, and he misses him a lot already, even admitting that he was emotional upon allowing the forward to leave Old Trafford.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho
“I miss the guy a lot,” said Mourinho. “I think he’s a fantastic guy. I’m not the kind of guy that normally gets emotional in my job and I did it with him when he left. But I’m sure he’s going to be very, very good for Everton and Everton is going to be very, very good for him.”
“It wasn’t difficult, because he deserved that it wasn’t difficult. He deserves what he got and what he got was our desire for him to stay and our respect by letting it be completely clear we would like him to stay. And, at the same time, the respect that allows him to be happy and allows him to try to play every game, every minute, which honestly I think he needs,” he added.
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