Wayne Rooney has revealed that he came very close to joining Manchester United's Premier League rivals before completing his fateful transfer to Old Trafford from Everton. The forward joined the Red Devils as a prodigious 18-year-old and went on to become a club legend, playing 559 matches and scoring 253 goals, but things could have been very different.
Man Utd break the bank for young Rooney
Rooney was hot property in the summer of 2004 after a breakout season for Everton and shining for England at the European Championship in Portugal before an untimely broken foot cut his tournament short. The forward dramatically handed in a transfer request at Everton late in the transfer window, and Man Utd completed a £27 million deal for his services within a few days. However, they were not the only interested party, with Newcastle coming up short in the race for his signature despite a phone call from club legend Alan Shearer and iconic manager Sir Bobby Robson – albeit he got young Rooney's name wrong. The former player revealed he would have joined the Magpies after they made an offer that summer, but their bid actually forced United's hand.
AdvertisementAFP'I would have gone to Newcastle'
"I would have certainly went [to Newcastle]," Rooney revealed on his self-titled podcast . "Manchester United wanted to wait a season and then sign me the year after they did sign me. Newcastle put a bid in and if Manchester United hadn't come in, I would have gone to Newcastle.
"Those two were bidding against each other. My agent's best mate was chairman at Newcastle at the time! So I'm sure he was getting nudged to try to get me as well. I wanted to go to Manchester United, but I spoke with Sir Bobby Robson and Alan Shearer.
"In true Bobby Robson style, on the phone he called me 'Mark'. I thought he had either forgotten my name or he was a genius – because that's my middle name."
Rooney fulfils his potential at Old Trafford
Ultimately, Man Utd would be very, very glad that they got the deal over the line ahead of Newcastle and didn't wait, as originally planned. Speaking at the time, revered former United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said: "I am very excited. I think we have got the best young player this country has seen in the past 30 years. Everyone is delighted by this signing."
That turned out to be a pretty accurate assessment, as the teenager blossomed into one of the finest players England has ever seen and became a club legend at Old Trafford, scoring 253 goals in 559 trophy-laden appearances for the club, including five Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2008 as a star-studded United side edged Chelsea on penalties.
Discussing his relationship with Ferguson, Rooney added: "I always remember the one thing he said and he said it a few times, is 'the hardest thing to do in life is work hard'. That stuck with me. Whatever job you're doing that can apply to anything really. I think in football we have talent, we have ability but sometimes we don't look at working hard every day. And you'd think that's, that's normal.
"You should do that if you, you played in a big club, but if some players actually you've seen them, they don't. And so that was the one thing which stuck with me."
AFPRooney turns to punditry
Rooney has, however, been markedly less successful in his coaching career so far, having had short-lived, ill-fated spells in charge at Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle, following his time at Derby County and MLS side D.C. United.
Having been sacked by Plymouth in late 2024, the 40-year-old is yet to return to the dugout, instead focusing on TV work as a pundit, as well as his new podcast with the BBC. Whether he will fancy another foray into the world of management remains to be seen after his recent negative experiences.
