Wayne Rooney says he and Morgan Schneiderlin were left bamboozled by Kevin De Bruyne and Manchester City in a game at Goodison.
Writing in his Sunday Times column, Rooney has heaped praise De Bruyne and recalls how he and Schneiderlin, deployed as a central midfield two by then-manager Sam Allardyce, could not cope with City in March, 2018.
Everton were 3-0 down by half-time and though Yannick Bolasie pulled one back, it was mere consolation as City finished the game with 82% possession.
Rooney was replaced on 56 minutes by Tom Davies and remembers an incredibly difficult afternoon.
“Playing against him was never, ever, easy and I’ll always remember Everton using me and Morgan Schneiderlin, in a 4-4-2, against a City midfield of De Bruyne, David Silva and Fernandinho, with Sterling dropping in," Rooney writes in his Sunday Times column today.
“They absolutely outnumbered us. Me and Schneiderlin were in the middle of the pitch saying, ‘What’s going on here?!’
“We were 3-0 down after 37 minutes and had 18 per cent possession in the game.”
After the game, Allardyce said: "Manchester City are a top quality team, you have to admire a team that especially in the first half were too good for you.
"As much as the lads tried it was something we couldn't cope with."
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