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Stan Collymore says Wayne Rooney will give Everton a bigger profile abroad

Stan Collymore (Reuters)
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Wayne Rooney is all set to return to Everton this summer.

According to reports from The Sun, Wayne Rooney is all set to return to his boyhood club, Everton, in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that Rooney has agreed a £160,000-a-week deal at Everton, and that he has already completed his medical.

Former Liverpool player and a popular football pundit, Stan Collymore says that Rooney would be sad to leave United, but at the same time the England striker will be delighted to be returning to Merseyside.

England's Wayne RooneyEngland’s Wayne Rooney

However, Collymore is skeptical about what Rooney can bring to Everton.

He asked the question in his column for The Sunday People (h/t The Mirror) whether Everton really need the former England skipper.

Collymore believes that apart from fostering a winning mentality in the side, he cannot see Rooney bringing anything extra to Ronald Koeman’s squad.

Everton have spent heavily this summer with Koeman bringing in some exciting players. Collymore casts doubt over whether Rooney will get enough first team opportunities.

He reckons that Rooney can offer more to Everton off the pitch – being the poster boy for England for a decade, he will give Everton a bigger profile abroad.

“But do Everton really need the former England captain? I don’t think they do,” wrote Collymore in his column for The Sunday People (h/t The Mirror). “Not on the field, anyway, ­although his signing will be as much to foster a winning ­mentality as anything else.

“It’s going to be interesting because he’s not the most vocal captain – he prefers to lead by example. You wonder how often he is going to play after only a bit-part role for United last season.

“And if he isn’t playing very often come January, then Ronald Koeman will suddenly start ­facing questions and that can be wearing for a manager.

“Maybe Koeman is OK with that because he knows Rooney will give Everton a bigger profile abroad and let players who are potential targets know that the poster boy of English football for the past decade is now in the Goodison ­dressing room.”

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