Wayne Rooney has given an alternative take on Trent Alexander-Arnold’s potential move to Real Madrid – and he genuinely has a point.
Rooney, 39, is Manchester United’s record goal scorer and came through the ranks at Everton, so you would be forgiven for thinking his take on a Liverpool player would be frosty or at least slightly biased.
However, earlier this week he gave a refreshing stance on Alexander-Arnold’s situation after it was widely reported last week that the England international was close to finalising a five-year contract at Real Madrid – meaning he would leave his boyhood club for free upon the expiration of his contract at the end of June.
Rooney found himself in a similar situation in August 2004 after he burst onto the scene at the Toffees before Sir Alex Ferguson’s Man Utd came calling – although Everton did receive £25.6m from the sale.
The 39-year-old wrote a column for BBC Sport published on Monday detailing his thoughts on Alexander-Arnold’s current situation.
“As, I found out myself, just because there are talks over a transfer does not mean it will happen,” Rooney wrote.
Wayne Rooney and Trent Alexannder-Arnold are former England teammate (Credit:Getty)
“It is well known that some United fans protested outside my house when they thought I was going to leave in 2010, but I’d agreed my new contract by then.
“Alexander-Arnold has not signed anything with Real yet and it would not surprise me if, even after all this speculation, he ends up staying at Anfield after all.
“A lot can happen before a contract is signed – as I know from experience.”
The former England forward also revealed that a deal between United and Madrid looked “likely” after he told the Premier League club that he didn’t want to sign a new deal before putting a transfer request in back in 2010.
Rooney then compared Real’s current team – namely Vinicius Junior, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe – to Pep Guardiola’s iconic Barcelona side with Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Sergio Busquets at its spine.
“I would not blame Alexander-Arnold for wanting to do something a little bit different – like a fresh challenge in a new country – Spain would be a really good move for him,” Rooney explained.
