He huffed and he puffed, but ultimately Wayne Rooney was unable to blow Manchester United's house down.

Rooney made his eagerly-awaited return to United, the first time he has been back to Old Trafford since his summer switch to boyhood club Everton.

United's 253-goal record scorer was lauded by the home fans before kick-off and after the final whistle, but the former Reds' skipper will want to forget the 90 minutes in between.

Three times inside the first 15 minutes, Rooney squandered possession, either with a stray pass or because he took too long on the ball and was robbed of it.

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Image:
Action Images via Reuters)

Rooney's heat map vs Man United

Rooney was all over the park on Sunday

But after a tough opening 20 minutes, in which he cut an isolated figure up front as United put Everton under relentless pressure by camping in their half, Rooney rallied, albeit briefly.

In the 20 minute, Rooney played a first-time ball to Cuco Martina, then embarked on a lung-busting run to the edge of the United area, only to screw his effort wide after collecting the ball.

Rooney could have got on the scoresheet within two minutes of the restart, but failed to capitalise on the opening, the wasted opportunity indicative of his decline.

Rooney remonstrates with the referee (
Image:
Action Images via Reuters)

After a poor first touch, which saw the ball drift beyond him, it bounced off Eric Bailly and back into the path of Rooney, whose angled shot was blocked by David De Gea.

But Rooney kept on going, chasing down lost causes and gradually became more of a nuisance to his old club, but there were still too many misplaced passes and heavy touches in key areas.

The Man United legend squanders a golden chance to score (
Image:
Action Images via Reuters)

After 13 glittering years at Old Trafford, during which time he earned iconic status, even after twice holding the club to ransom by threatening to leave, Rooney had given all he could to United.

It amounted to a frustrating homecoming for Rooney, one that did little to challenge the belief that a parting of the ways with United in the summer was the right decision for both parties.

Rooney tries to get past Eric Bailly (
Image:
Getty Images Europe)

When he as taken off with nine minutes left, Rooney was afforded a standing ovation from United's fans as well as the travelling contingent of Everton support, and a handshake from Jose Mourinho.

Within a minute of him coming off, United scored a second to seal the win, Rooney's scowl showing just how much it hurt to be on the losing side at a ground where he was so used to winning.