UK Edition
Jose Mourinho overcome with emotion at Wayne Rooney's Man Utd exit - 'I miss the guy a lot'
Jose Mourinho has claimed Wayne Rooney’s departure from Manchester United left him overcome with emotion and that the club’s former captain will not be easily replaced.
Rooney re-signed for Everton this month after 13 years at Old Trafford during which time he won five Premier League titles, the Champions League and became the club’s all-time record scorer with 253 goals.
The England striker claimed he knew as early as November that his United career was over after gradually being phased out of the team by Mourinho, whose skilful handling of the situation averted the prospect of an acrimonious parting of ways.
United ended up waiving a fee for Rooney, who had a year left on his contract with the option of another 12 months, and Mourinho said it was a wrench to see him go and insisted he would be missed.
“I miss him a lot, I miss the guy a lot, I think he’s a fantastic guy,” Mourinho said. “I’m not the kind of guy that gets normally emotional in my job and I did it with him when he left, but I am sure that he’s going to be very good for Everton, and Everton is going to be very good for him.
“Wayne was a very positive influence. We cannot say we are going to improve the group because Wayne left. No way, or the other way around.
“He was such an important guy and a good guy for us. I just think it is a new period without that face, without that leader, without that good influence on us.
“It was not difficult [Rooney leaving] because he deserved that it was not difficult. He deserves what he got and what he got was our desire for him to stay and our respect by letting it be completely clear that we would like him to stay.
“And at the same time the respect that allows him to be happy, allows him to try to play every game, every minute which honestly I think he needs. At his age, with his genetics, with his body, with his personality too, I don’t think he’s the kind of player to be less motivated, not so happy because he’s not playing every minute.
“I think with his body he needs to be working at high intensity every day, every month, so I think he deserves that respect from us as if you want to go we have to make it easy for you to go.”
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