Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney buzzing to face Everton in testimonial after being praised by new boss Jose Mourinho
Red Devils skipper has been hailed as the best English footballer of the past decade by The Special One
TEN years is a long time in English football.
Some big-hitters, such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, have come and gone over the past decade.
Wayne Rooney, who against Russia in Marseilles on Saturday will win his 112th cap, has outlasted them all.
Now that his August 3 testimonial against former club Everton has finally been boxed off, he can relax and enjoy Euro 2016 after Jose Mourinho’s ringing endorsement.
Rooney, 30, will be feeling ten feet tall after the Special One named him as the best English footballer over the past decade.
It is certainly some accolade.
Long-forgotten players like Darius Vassell, Franny Jeffers and James Beattie were in the squad when Rooney made his international debut as a sub against Australia in 2003.
So, too, were Sol Campbell, Ledley King, Paul Scholes and Ferdinand when Rooney replaced Michael Owen after 45 minutes.
At the Stadium of Light last month, when Rooney came on at the start of the second half against the Aussies, he was regarded as a wise old head in a very young side.
Rooney, who scored the second with a smart finish, has assumed statesman-like importance around the place.
Mourinho, his new club manager, sure knows how to make his biggest and best assets feel special.
The United boss said: “This game will be a fitting tribute to everything he has achieved.
“I’m looking forward to what will be a very special night for us both.”
Mourinho is no stranger to Manchester, famously making his way north to the Lowry Hotel when he was appointed Chelsea manager in June 2004.
The England squad — complete with a 17-year-old Rooney — were there, preparing for the European Championships when Mourinho walked in for a meeting with the Chelsea contingent.
Mourinho had the wow-factor then, convincing John Terry, Lampard, Joe Cole and Wayne Bridge they would win the title if they carried out his instructions.
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With the big two — Terry and Lampard — onside, they won two successive titles under Mourinho. Now he is working his magic on Rooney.
Mourinho may have forgotten he once publicly lauded Lampard as the best Premier League player for a decade, because there are a fair few years which overlap with Rooney.
But it is Rooney’s title now, passed on by Mourinho as he plots United’s return to the top of the English game.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic on his way into Old Trafford and the emergence of Marcus Rashford, he must also find a position for Rooney.
He has taken to a deep-lying midfield role, using his guile and craft to be the creator.
Mourinho, who has already spoken to Rooney and assured the captain he remains a central part of his plans, has to fit him in to a revised system.
They have history, with Mourinho tapping him up to become a Chelsea player when he returned to Stamford Bridge for his second spell in 2013.
Rooney almost went, until executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward put a few more pennies in his coffers to keep him at Old Trafford until 2018 at the very least.
Mourinho was rattled by the rejection, repeatedly saying “ask the boy” when quizzed about it after a dreadful 0-0 draw at United in August 2013. Almost three years on and Rooney is stitched into the fabric of the club.
Woodward, who sanctioned the testimonial just four days before they play Leicester in the Community Shield, believes Rooney is one of the best players in United’s history.
He said: “From his sensational debut hat-trick to the latest of his 245 goals, he has been a central figure in what has been one of the most successful periods in the club’s history, winning every major honour in the game.”
Rooney wants to raise £5million for underprivileged and disadvantaged kids. Four charities — the NSPCC, Claire House Children’s Hospice, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital and the Manchester United Foundation — will all benefit.
Rooney said: “For me, there could not be a more special testimonial match. I owe United and Everton everything for giving me my footballing opportunities.”
This is the hidden side to Rooney’s character.
His decision to pass on the proceeds of his testimonial year is another touch of class from the England captain.
Now he is out to show by what he does with England that he is Mourinho’s perfect No 10.