The pros and cons of Everton signing Wayne Rooney

Just a few days ago, Wayne Rooney returned to his boyhood club Everton after 13 years and 559 appearances for Manchester United. The Englishman undoubtedly adds huge experience to the Everton team as he hopes to also add to his career goals tally.

England’s all-time leading goal-scorer has made it clear that Everton will not be a ‘retirement home’ and is hopeful of returning to the England team.

Despite Rooney showing positive signs in his press conferences since joining and being hopeful of a successful return to Everton, his recent form at United suggests that the 31-year-old is a shadow of his former self.

However, his return is huge for the squad, the youth team, and the fans. The Englishman is likely to give the whole club a huge boost, which could also help them push for a top 4 spot next season.

Rooney’s move to Goodison is likely to have some pros, and some cons, but the pros or cons will mainly depend on how Rooney performs in an Everton shirt next season.

Pros

Experience

The 31-year-old will certainly add experience to the current Everton team. Having led out and captained England and Manchester United, he has bundles of experience and leadership. The Toffees have plenty of youth in Mason Holgate, Tom Davies, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Ademola Lookman, and Rooney will be able to mentor and help these young players get better.

Goals

If Rooney can produce form anything like his younger days, Everton will be extremely happy. In 13 years with the Red Devils, Rooney failed to get into double figures for goals in the Premier League on just two occasions, in the last two seasons. However, in his defence, he played a lesser role and mainly as a number 10 or a midfielder for both of those seasons. Therefore, if he plays as a striker, he may reproduce some magic and score some important goals for the Toffees in the 2017/18 Premier League season.

Cons

Poor form

Despite scoring three goals in his last six starts in the Premier League at the end of last season, he has only scored five and eight in his last two Premier League campaigns, with 8 in 27 starts in 2015/16. The 31-year-old looks to be ageing by the day and seems to struggle to keep up with the pace in the Premier League currently, as the young players effortlessly bypass him.

With a run of games possibly as a first-choice striker, it is yet to be seen how Rooney will perform at 31 years old, but his recent form over the last couple of years has not looked promising.

Rooney was reduced to a bench warmer in his final two years at Old Trafford

Age

As mentioned, the pace of the Premier League has seemingly become too much for Rooney in recent years. If he is to play up front, based on form and longevity in a 90 minute game, it’s unlikely he will be able to perform like he could in his prime and will not have the sharpness that he had back then.

Additionally, as mentioned previously, this a young Everton side. They have added Davy Klaassen, Jordan Pickford, Sandro Ramirez and Michael Keane to their squad, all of whom are under the age of 25. This could mean Rooney might disrupt the balance in the side. Although he adds experience, he will not be as sharp and as quick as the younger players in the team.

Regardless of the cons, Wayne Rooney is a very good signing for the Toffees. The things the 31-year-old has done and the trophies he has won mean he is a good player to add to any side. Furthermore, moving to Everton is a great move for the Englishman himself, as he is likely to spend his final days in the Premier League at his first club. He may yet finish his career in the US or another country, but this will most definitely be his final Premier League club.

It will be dependent on his performances whether this move was successful for Everton, but overall right now, it is a good signing. The Englishman will be back playing in front of the fans he was playing in front of when he was just 16 years old, which is likely to bring the spark back for the forward. He may not be the player he once was, but he can still offer a lot to the Toffees, and most neutrals will be happy to see the England international play regularly again in the Premier League.