All Eyes On Rooney At Goodison

Sir Alex Ferguson

“He always gets a rough ride there although he is probably used to that now. There is a special motivation for Wayne to do well against Everton but we couldn’t have him in better form really and it doesn’t matter where we are going. He has been the main player. Without a doubt he has been the star for the last few weeks. He is in such good form we are going there in great confidence. Over the last month or so his game has just taken off. Confidence has something to do with it of course but he has been in absolutely incredible form over the last few weeks. Before, we said that his goalscoring tended to come in bursts. Now he is far more consistent and goalscoring is the area you always want to be judged as a striker. It is the area of biggest improvement and with him doing that you have to put him in the same bracket as all the best players. The evidence is there.”

David Moyes

“Wayne phoned me a year ago to apologise for his book and to say that things he had put in it were wrong. He admitted he had made a mistake, so you have to give him a lot of credit for that. He thanked me for all the help he had received at Everton as well, and I just said, ‘Fine, Wayne, that just shows the level of maturity you have reached’. Don’t forget, the court case had already been won, and it was all over, as far as I was concerned. But I think it was something he really wanted to do, rather than someone putting him up to it. I got the impression he wanted to make that call and set things straight between us, and I really appreciated it. He is now the one sorting out young players at Manchester United. Anyone stepping out of line or not doing what they are supposed to is answerable to him. I suppose it just shows how we are all getting older and wiser.”