Mourinho: Rooney asked if he could return to Everton and I couldn’t stand in his way

After Wayne Rooney confirmed his signing for Everton, Jose Mourinho wanted to pay tribute to his former striker and also note that he couldn’t stand in Rooney’s way of a dream move back to his boyhood club.

The striker leaves Old Trafford as the greatest scorer in Manchester United’s history.”It’s no secret that I’ve long been a fan of Wayne,” Mourinho said to United’s official website.”He has been a model pro throughout his time at the club and will remain in the history books for many years.”It’s not easy to see a great player playing less than he would like, so when he asked me to return to Everton, I could not stand in his way.

For his part, Rooney also said goodbye to United with an emotional message on their social networks.”I wanted to thank everyone at Manchester United, thanks to all the coaches, the staff, the teammates I’ve played with and the incredible fans I’ve been lucky enough to play for. Thank you for the memories,” he wrote.

Just want to say a massive thank you to everybody at @manchesterunited. Thanks to the boards over the years, the managers and coaches I’ve played under, the staff I’ve worked with, the team mates I’ve played alongside, and finally the amazing fans that I’ve been lucky enough to have played for. Thanks for the memories ❤️

A post shared by Wayne Rooney (@waynerooney) on Jul 9, 2017 at 7:13am PDT