Yahoo News Wayne Rooney left us gobsmacked with street footballer antics - he was a bugger in training too
David Moyes has described managing Wayne Rooney as "bugger" in training.
On a recent episode of The Rest is Football podcast featuring Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards, Moyes, who famously managed both Everton and Manchester United, shared insights into his time mentoring a budding Rooney at the Blues. He also acknowledged recognising the "phenomenal" potential of what he describes as a "complete throwback".
As Rooney emerged from Everton's Academy to make his debut at just 16, Moyes admitted it wasn't always easy governing the promising youngster despite his evident flair. Furthermore, he fondly referred to Rooney as one of the last of the "street footballers".
EXCLUSIVE: United set to sign Scottish youth forward
Moyes, who coached Wayne Rooney at both Everton and United, also lifted the lid about the striker's training habits. He recalled that Rooney was a "bugger" on the training pitch, often kicking balls away and attempting to hit the crossbar from halfway but was capable of jaw-dropping brilliance.
"I remember there was a game going on and all the staff were dotted around in different parts and he chipped the goalkeeper from an incredibly tight angle and it was one of these moments where everyone sort of looked around and said 'did he mean that?'," Moyes said.
He then added: "But he was also a bugger, he would kick all the balls away and hit the crossbar from the half-way line but he was just a street footballer and there weren't many left after Wayne that's for sure."
Lineker then asked Moyes if Rooney was difficult to manage. The 61-year-old revealed that Rooney would often use the punch bags in the gym and wasn't afraid to "take anybody on" when it came to boxing, reports the Liverpool Echo. He also claimed that the former England international wasn't intimidated by anyone, even the more imposing figures in the Everton dressing room such as Everton icon Duncan Ferguson.
"He was quite feisty even as a 16-year-old and he wanted to play," Moyes explained. "He came in one day and we had a few boxing bags in the fitness room and the boys would be on the bags like big Dunc (Duncan Ferguson) and you know, Wayne said he would take anybody on with the gloves on and Wayne was that type, it means you could put him in against the men and he wouldn't be phased by it."
Match of the Day host Lineker asked if it was immediately apparent that Moyes had a prodigy in his midst. The former Preston manager recounted how Walter Smith, the previous Everton boss, had mentioned Rooney to him, but he initially doubted whether the young talent was as exceptional as suggested.
"I got the job and took it off Walter Smith and I went to Walter Smith's house the night before I was taking the job because Walter Smith was a good friend and he said 'you've got a boy coming through in the academy, Wayne Rooney and you know, you've heard that before, you've heard stories like that," Moyes recalled. He even revealed how he had to pull Rooney out of school to have him on the bench for a match against Southampton.
"But by the end of that season they were playing Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Youth Cup at Goodison and I remember coming down and Wayne was there and I said 'you'll be with me next season', and at that time Wayne wasn't a good speaker and and he was quite shy."
"Before the end of the season we had him on the bench at Southampton and, we had to get him out of school to put him on the bench, but he came on and he was phenomenal."
Moyes also reminisced about how Rooney scored a hat-trick at Hampden Park against Queens Park in pre-season at just 16. The sheer power and speed of the forward convinced him that Rooney was a rare breed.
He stated: "Wayne was an unbelievable player and just something different, a complete throwback, strong, fast, and could play." Rooney initially played for the Blues, making 67 appearances before transferring to Manchester United in 2004. There, he netted 183 goals in 393 matches.
In 2017, he returned to Everton, adding another ten goals to his tally in 31 games. Moyes, on the other hand, left Everton after an 11-year tenure in 2013 to manage Manchester United, but his stint at Old Trafford lasted only a single season.
