David Unsworth finally bowed out in style as interim Everton manager having beaten West Ham 4-0 after he replaced Ronald Koeman a few weeks ago. While Everton played like a title contender on the night , it was England Legend Wayne Rooney who stole the spotlight delighting fans and reminding them he still has what it takes to play at the top level for a few years with his hat-trick on the night.
Although Everton are languishing in 13th position in the Premier League at present having lost seven games already this season (14 games already played); club captain Rooney is in top form having scored seven goals in his 12 league games since his return from Manchester United to the Merseyside in the summer. At 32, it seemed that Everton were making a critical mistake re-signing the same player who they sold for £25 million in 2004. Having lost a yard of the pace which made him so dangerous, Rooney's near perfect shooting and passing ability have enabled him to function deeper as a second striker or no.10 at this point in his career. Presently unable to start games every weekend , the former Three Lions striker showed his abysmal last season was mainly due to lack of game time and not the inability to perform. With Juan Mata, Henrik Mkhitaryan, Paul Pogba all better suited as the no.10's and Marcus Rashford, Zlatan Ibrahimovic as well as Martial all preferred upfront it was always difficult to get game time in Old Trafford last season .
In a young and attacking Everton side which boasts such players like Carl Lewis, Tom Davies, Jonjoe Kenny, Lookman, Vlasic and Baningime, the second highest goalscorer in Premier League history (205 goals) have become a role model on and off the pitch as well as the one who dictates the pace of their game . While he might not be able to guarantee a 20 plus goals each season, evergreen Wayne Rooney has shown he can still cut it at the top level considering how this season as played out.
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