Everton hero reveals he convinced £25.6m man to snub Newcastle United transfer move

Newcastle United missed out on the signing of Rooney back in 2004, as Manchester United swooped for the Everton starlet, despite the first bid for his services coming from Tyneside.

As that summer’s transfer window ticked towards closing, Rooney’s future at Goodison Park was far from certain.

The Toffees were desperate to keep hold of Rooney, but with interest building, it seemed impossible for them to keep the teenager beyond the deadline. Newcastle United were the first club to blink, submitting an offer of around £20m - one that Everton would go on to reject.

Newcastle’s push to sign Rooney was noted in Manchester, however, with the Red Devils quickly submitting a bigger bid, worth £25.6m, and eventually securing his signature. Having impressed at Euro 2004 just months earlier, Sir Alex Ferguson had secured a big coup, one that would transform the English game.

Duncan Ferguson’s Wayne Rooney transfer message

As Sir Alex Ferguson celebrated signing his man, Duncan Ferguson may be credited with an assist for the move. Speaking on the Overlap, the former Magpies man revealed that what he told Rooney amid reported interest from St James’ Park: “He was going to go to Newcastle,” Ferguson said, “and I advised him against that move, before he went to Manchester United.”

“I told him that Newcastle was a great club, but ‘if United and Sir Alex Ferguson want you, you better go'. Alan [Shearer] and Wayne were the best strikers I played with. Wayne was only young at the time, but you could see where he was going to get to – he was a top player.”

Wayne Rooney’s Man Utd and England legacy

It’s hard to argue against the fact that Rooney, ultimately, made the correct decision in choosing Old Trafford over St James’ Park. He would go on to score 253 times for the Red Devils during his 13 years at the club, becoming their all-time top goalscorer as he surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton’s tally of 253 goals.

Rooney would do the same at international level as he, albeit briefly, became England’s all-time top scorer before he was surpassed by Harry Kane. Only Kane and Shearer have scored more Premier League goals than Rooney in the league’s 32-year history.

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Newcastle United, meanwhile, in the immediate seasons following Rooney’s rejection, saw their place among England’s elite clubs slide and ultimately ended in relegation just five years later. Under Mike Ashley, another relegation would follow in 2016 and it’s only now that they have been able to restore their place among the very best sides that England has to offer.

Ferguson, meanwhile, despite being a big factor in them missing out on Rooney’s signature, remains a favourite on Tyneside with his brief time at the club looked back on fondly by many who remember his bustling partnership with Shearer up-front. The Scottish international scored 12 times in 41 matches for the Magpies including two on debut against AFC Wimbledon back in November 1998.

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