Wayne Rooney admits he has one big regret over the way his Everton career ended before making the switch to Major League Soccer.
The former England star returned to Everton last season following 13 years with Manchester United and began on the front foot by playing at striker and finding the net regularly.
But the Blues were not in sync as a team and Rooney says that forced him into the midfield under previous boss Sam Allardyce.
Whilst Rooney insists it was a decision he agreed with at the time, the 33-year-old explains that he should have fought to stay up front.
“I started off playing as a striker but the team wasn’t doing well. I spoke with the manager and we both felt it would be better if I went into a midfield role to try and help us get control of games,” Rooney told TalkSPORT.
“But really I should have said no and that I wanted to be up top scoring goals.
“At the end it was disappointing. The way it happened with the owner was a difficult couple of months to go through. That’s football. The departure led to a new opportunity over here. I’m just a bit disappointed with the way it ended with Everton.”
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Allardyce is no longer pulling the strings at Everton, with Marco Silva taking over as manager ahead of this season.
While Silva hasn’t exactly ushered in new-found success at Goodison Park, Rooney believes the 41-year-old should be given time to build.
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“It’s difficult. Everton fans want success and to compete for titles. It’s going to take time. It’s not always about spending money,” Rooney added.
“They need to focus on building the squad. Changing the manager every so often doesn’t help the club. Hopefully Marco Silva gets the time to build something and they compete for a Champions League place in the future.”
