I chose Everton pressure over China’s paycheck, says Rooney

Wayne Rooney says he chose the “pressure” of returning to boyhood club Everton over a massive paycheck in China when he left Manchester United.

The former England captain was linked with a move to the Far East in the final months of his career at Old Trafford but eventually decided on an emotional homecoming 13 years after leaving Goodison Park.

Rooney, 32, told the BBC’s Football Focus programme he decided against seeing out his career “earning a lot of money” overseas.“That’s not me, I need those goals, I need that pressure.

That desire to play would have been lost if I’d chosen that other option,” he said.“I knew that coming back to Everton was more pressure —that’s what I wanted.“I wanted to prove myself again to the Everton fans and to try to help this club move forward and win silverware. I think it was the perfect fit for me and hopefully in the next two or three years we can do that.”