Wayne Rooney became a generation's hero at Manchester United - now Everton bring a Premier League legend home

Rooney’s transfer may have been the talk of Europe when he signed for Manchester United as a £30m teenager but, 13 years later, that fee has paid itself back many times over

Wayne Rooney left Everton a boy but returns home a Premier League legend (Getty)

As Wayne Rooney was unveiled as Manchester United’s £30m signing, Alan Hansen – the country’s premier pundit at the time - sounded a word of caution. "We are not dealing with any normal 18-year-old,” he said.

"There is huge pressure on Rooney because he is not a teenager who will come in and people will wait for him to deliver - he is going to go into that team and be expected to make a real impact.”

A Champions League hat-trick on debut would have to do.

That, there and then, celebrating his hat-trick on his knees in front of a thunderstorm of flashbulbs , set the tone for Wayne Rooney’s time at Manchester United. A series of incredible events tied together by the connective tissue of consistently high-level performances. He was shunted around, praised and slated, played and benched, yet won everything, capping that with a Europa League triumph this May to fill the only shadow cast on his trophy cabinet.

A scorer of iconic goals, a scorer of important goals and, lately, a scorer of fewer goals. Wayne Rooney’s transfer may have been the talk of Europe when he signed for Manchester United as a £30m teenager but, 13 years later, that fee has paid itself back many times over.

559 appearances, 253 goals. A hat-trick on his debut, that bicycle kick in the dying seconds of the Manchester derby, Champions League final goals, a title-winning penalty and so many more.

There were almost as many controversies too, with transfer requests, Phil Bardsley knocking him out in his kitchen, a wedding drama and, ahem, massages.

Rooney's United career wasn't without controversy (Manchester United)

Eventful, to say the least. But impactful most of all. Rooney was, for a generation of young boys, the shining light and biggest name in English football and the face of the Premier League. He played many a role; number 9 or 10, hero or villain, golden boy or punching bag. But that also pays tribute to one of his most impressive achievements – longevity.

"I can see Wayne having the same impact as Eric (Cantona) had on the team when I signed him," said Sir Alex Ferguson when Rooney signed, but he was eventually wrong on both counts. While Rooney will likely never be remembered with the same mystique and romance of Cantona, he won far more than the world’s most French man ever could have. Rooney’s United career was littered with sacrifice and high achievement that went hand in hand but that also stood the test of time. Cantona flashed brilliance and boasted tremendous swagger, but he never came close to reaching Rooney’s heights in terms of silverware and, let’s not forget, retired at the age Rooney is today.

But perhaps perception is part of the problem with Rooney. He was always just a working class lad from Liverpool who was blessed with phenomenal talent. He had a streetwise intelligence on the field that was honed and refined by Ferguson’s coaching staff but never the bravado and continental flair of Le King.

Rooney's most recent career has been on the outside looking in (Getty)

Michael Carrick said he always valued Rooney as a teammate because he would constantly make himself available but also because he made selfless runs that would create space for teammates, it’s an important point to note as very few players to have shared a field with Rooney have complaints. He is, by virtually all accounts, a brilliant teammate rated more highly by fellow players than fans.

Having been a first-team regular in the Premier League for 15 years now, most would expect Rooney’s body to be breaking down but he has had relatively few problems with injury. There may be a half-yard of pace lost but his speed of thought remains. Big performances in the FA Cup final and Europe over the last 18 months suggest Rooney is not done and moving ‘home’ – as it were – feels like the right decision and the best way to close out a Premier League career that will go down as one of the best.

Everton will know, to borrow Hansen’s phrase, that they are not dealing with any normal 31-year-old. They are signing a legend of the Premier League era.