Manchester United willing to sanction Rooney’s Everton return for free

According to The Independent sources close to both Manchester United and Everton are confident that Wayne Rooney will complete a homecoming switch to Everton.

The paper reports that Old Trafford sources may even be willing to allow their captain to head back to Merseyside on a free transfer, despite England’s all time top scorer still having two years left on his current contract.

The 31-year old has seen his playing time limited this season under Jose Mourinho but is believed to be keen to stay in the Premier League in seek of more regular action.

Talk of a return to his boyhood club was fuelled last month when Everton manager Ronald Koeman spoke of his admiration for Rooney, stating “What will happen at the end of the season? I don’t know but in my opinion he [Rooney] is one of the players who can make Everton more stronger.”

The former Toffees forward has come in for criticism in recent seasons as his influence on the pitch has waned and he was dropped from the Manchester United team by Mourinho late last year. Things have got progressively worse for the Everton academy graduate, who was left out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad having started just one Premier League game in 2017.