Former Manchester United forward, Wayne Rooney, says the hardest moment in footballers’ career is accepting when they are no longer the players they once were, drawing from his own experience at the top level.
Rooney who spent 13 years at the club after a £27m move from Everton in 2004, enjoyed a glittering career at Old Trafford. Rooney made 559 appearances, scored 253 goals, and won five Premier League titles, as well as the Champions League, Europa League and FA Cup.
However, in 2017, at the age of 31, he chose to leave United and return to Everton after falling down the pecking order.
As reported by reuters on Friday, Rooney was quoted as saying that the hardest thing for a player is to understand that they may not be at the level they were. Rooney made this statement on The Wayne Rooney Show.
“I did it at Manchester United when Zlatan Ibrahimović came in and I wasn’t playing. I wanted to play so I left straight away. I accepted it,” he said.
Rooney compared that situation to that of Mohamed Salah, who is set to leave Liverpool FC at the end of the season after nine years at Anfield.
Salah has been central to Liverpool’s success, winning multiple major honours including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Club World Cup. However, this season has seen a noticeable dip by his own high standards.