Rooney: I left Man United at the ‘right time’
Wayne Rooney believes he left Manchester United at the right time, even though he wanted to finish his career at Old Trafford.
The 33-year-old, who was set to make his final England appearance against the United States in a friendly international at Wembley this morning (Singapore time), is now playing for American side DC United in Major League Soccer.
But there is no denying his place in United's history books, with Rooney the club's leading goalscorer in a career that also saw him win five English Premier League titles, the Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup and three League Cups with the Red Devils.
In total, Rooney made 559 appearances for United from 2004-2017 after joining from boyhood club Everton.
NO LONGER FIRST-CHOICE
But he started a mere seven of the final 19 EPL appearances of his United career, after losing his position as a first-choice player under manager Jose Mourinho.
Rooney returned to Everton before leaving English club football completely when he joined DC United earlier this year.
"Of course you miss it," he told MUTV, United's in-house television station, of his time at Old Trafford.
"It was the highlight of my career, playing for Man United, and I was there for so long. But it was the right time...
"I wasn't playing, first of all. I have always been a player who wants to play.
"Obviously I spoke to the manager (Mourinho) and it didn't look like I was going to play, so it was the right decision and the right time for me to go.
"Obviously, you wish, the ideal situation was staying there and finishing your career there, but football changes.
"Different things happen and things happen for a reason." - AFP
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