Tribal Football

Moyes speaks on how he handled Rooney at Everton

Ansser Sadiq
Moyes speaks on how he handles Rooney as a teenager
Moyes speaks on how he handles Rooney as a teenagerAction Plus
Former Everton manager David Moyes has opened up about introducing Wayne Rooney to senior football.

Moyes, now 61, was the manager at the Toffees when a 16-year-old Rooney burst onto the scene.

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He eventually oversaw his sale to Manchester United - even coaching Rooney at United later in his career.

Per Liverpool Echo, Moyes stated: “Wayne was an unbelievable player so we don’t really need to mention that too much because everybody knows that. But I think how you handle any 16-year-old is very difficult.

“I don’t think it comes with a book that tells you how to deal with it. He was a proper Scouser, he had his own ways and was a tough boy, his own pals and ways of going about things.

“Going into being a professional is a big difference. He was still playing in the streets with his pals which was great and he was still going out.

“I’ve got to say that recently I had dinner with Wayne and he told me some unbelievable stories which if I think if was a manager now, I’d die if I heard them! 

“I was really fortunate though and I remember Walter Smith saying to me: ‘you’re really lucky David, there’s a boy in the academy who’s a really good player, a boy called Wayne Rooney.’”