Manchester United vs Everton: Wayne Rooney promised a hero’s welcome by Jesse Lingard when Toffees visit on Sunday
Former England captain swapped Old Trafford for Goodison Park over the summer and makes his first return this weekend
WAYNE ROONEY will get a reception befitting a club legend when he returns to Old Trafford on Sunday.
That is the view of Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard, who led the tributes to the club’s all-time record goalscorer ahead of Everton’s visit this weekend.
Rooney left United this summer after 13 years there in which he overhauled Sir Bobby Charlton’s scoring record by amassing 253 goals.
Lingard said: “He is always going to be recognised as a legend. He will get a great reception when he comes back and we will respect him.”
Former captain Rooney won five Premier League titles and the Champions League with United.
And Lingard said it was not just his goalscoring that stood out in his time with the Red Devils.
He added: “It was his experience in games. When you are winning a game 1-0 it is always hard to manage the game
"But Wayne knew what to do in those times, especially towards the end of a match. You learn every day from legends like that.”
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Having scored in his first two league games back at Everton, Rooney has been on the losing side for the last two — drawing a blank and earning yellow cards in each of the 2-0 and 3-0 defeats to Chelsea and Tottenham respectively.
By contrast Romelu Lukaku, who went the other way from Goodison Park to Old Trafford, hit the ground running and just has not stopped.
His goal in the 3-0 Champions League win over Basel on Tuesday was his sixth in as many games since switching for an initial £75million.
Lukaku has a long way to go to top Rooney’s total but is going the right way about it.
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Lingard said: “We saw last year what he is capable of and what he did for Everton. He scored a lot of goals for them and is now carrying on his form here which is great for us.
“He holds the ball up well but also runs in behind defences which gives the guy on the ball another option. He’s very strong in the box and very good with his head, so he gives a lot of options to the man on the ball.”
United will be without Paul Pogba for the visit of Everton after he suffered a hamstring injury against Basel.
The Swiss side have been hit by a Uefa disciplinary charge after their fans set off fireworks before the match at Old Trafford. The case will be dealt with on October 19.