Everton face West Ham in the Premier League on Wednesday night.
Tim Sherwood has told TalkSPORT that Everton must start Wayne Rooney against West Ham United after interim manager David Unsworth dropped the forward on Sunday.
Rooney, 32, was made to watch from the substitutes’ bench for the entire match as Everton lost 4-1 to Southampton on the south coast, with Unsworth deciding against bringing the former England captain onto the field of play.
The attacker has been in and out of form for Everton this season, scoring five goals in 19 league and cup appearances as the Toffees continue to struggle towards the bottom of the Premier League table.
Now, the Toffees go up against fellow strugglers West Ham and former manager David Moyes and ex-Tottenham boss Sherwood believes starting Rooney is a must as he “bleeds the colour blue” and chose to join Everton over moving to China in the summer.
“Wayne will be scratching his head wondering why he can’t get in that side,” Sherwood said. “If he gets a chance to score, he scores. He has proved that over the years at the highest level and if you cut Wayne in half, he will bleed the colour blue.
“He is an Evertonian. He wants that club to stay in the division and you have just got to get him in the side, especially with the position they are in.
“When he first went in in there at the beginning of the season, I thought he looked really good and lean and sharp. He wanted to prove a point. He could have easily gone to China but he wanted to go back to his boyhood club, where has got unfinished business.”
Everton sit way down in 16th place after an abysmal start to life in the 2017-18 campaign has seen them already knocked out of the Europa League, while previous manager Ronald Koeman was sacked.
Things have not improved under Unsworth, as the former Toffees player has lost five of his seven games in charge. The Merseyside outfit will be looking to put that right on Wednesday night though, but getting one over former manager Moyes.
Three points for Everton could see them climb up the table as high as eleventh place, if Huddersfield Town, Leicester City, Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Stoke City all drop points.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
