Our guest writer slot today is from Craig Hoyland – you can view his blog here: https://craighoyland1.wordpress.com/

Once a blue always a blue

Now Wayne Rooney is Manchester United’s all time leading goal scorer, is it the perfect time for a return to Everton, the place where it all began?

Love him or not, theres no denying Wayne Rooney has had a glittering career. Five Premier League titles, one FA Cup, two League Cups, one UEFA Champions League, at club level, hes won the lot & despite never winning an international tournament Rooney has still managed to achieve the accolade of being England’s top marksman netting 53 goals in 119 appearances. At 31, he probably has two or three seasons in him at the top level, so why are so many Evertonians not warming to the idea of a return to Goodison Park?

Once a blue, always a blue is maybe a good place to start. As a 16yr old Everton player, most fans will vividly remember Rooney famously lifting his shirt after scoring, to reveal the once a blue, always a blue message, then shortly afterwards making his big money move to Manchester. It was hardly a sideways step for him. Alex Ferguson & United offered the potential of winning trophies, playing in Europe’s most elite competitions & riches that we, as a club, could only dream of being able to deliver on. It left a bitter taste in the mouths of most blues, & for many, Rooney’s percieved lack of loyalty is still anything but water under the bridge, but does any of that really matter? Is it really that important? Surely all that matters is this question; Would Rooney make us better & would he significantly improve our chances of winning?

Forget what happened 15yrs ago, forget that he left us to win trophies, take away all the sentiment and ask yourself the question. The answer has to be yes. Even if you take away all the fluffy ideas about him being a shining example for the young players etc etc blah blah blah, just what he offers on the pitch alone is a good enough reason to bring Rooney back. Can anybody tell me that the thought of Rooney & Lukaku up top or Rooney playing off Lukaku doesnt sound even a little bit sexual? I understand people feeling betrayed after the shirt thing, i was one of them, i get it, but surely after 250 goals for United enough time has elapsed for us to put that one to bed, theres very little loyalty in the game, players want trophies & money.

Ive heard it said that Rooney isnt the player he once was & i agree, there is an element of truth in that statement but hes still got it, hes still scoring goals & he could be doing that for us. IF he wanted to come to us & IF Koeman wanted to bring him back, i feel the experience he brings with him, the ability that he still has & the goals he would score would be to good an opportunity to turn down. Would he come to us for a cut in his salary? Why not? Wherever he goes to, & it wont be China, he’ll be earning less money than he currently earns so why not come back to the club he supports, the club where his career started, the club that he loves & spend his final two or three seasons helping us return to where we want to be, at the top of the league & winning trophies!

Do you agree with Craig? Comment below or have your say on our dedicated Everton Forum at www.theevertonforum.co.uk/forum

https://twitter.com/CraigHoyland1