Wayne Rooney labels old Everton team-mates ‘crap’ in hilarious yet brutal interview

Wayne Rooney labels his old Everton team-mates ‘crap’ in what ended up being a hilarious yet brutal interview posted online this week.

Rooney was only 16 when he made his Premier League debut with the Merseyside club. He also made his England bow on Everton’s books, before moving to Manchester United. He returned to the club at the end of his career, before retiring in 2020.

The 37-year old scored a record 53 goals for England and 253 for Manchester United. This established him as one of the greatest players in the history Premier League. He felt overwhelmed playing alongside club legends Duncan Ferguson and Alan Stubbs, even as a youngster.

Unreal this from the Rooney interview pic.twitter.com/tnMiyyGW0Y

— Charlie (@CharlieW4780) December 5, 2022

“It’s mad how quick it changed,” Rooney told Toffee TV. “For me to go in with Duncan, Stubbsy, all of them who I grew up watching, to then go and play with them, train with them every day and play with them, so quickly I remember thinking ‘these are crap’.

“Obviously not all of them, but some of the players I was thinking, “what’s going on here?” Then just thinking ‘we need to sign better players’. I think that’s the fan coming out, I couldn’t believe how bad some of them were.

“I remember thinking ‘I’m better than all these players’. That’s not disrespect to them players but some of them just weren’t good enough and should never have played for Everton,” he added. “I remember thinking the step up would be harder.”

Rooney was just 16 when he netted his first top flight goal against Arsenal, and he scored 17 times in two seasons during his first spell.

He reached double-figures in his second spell as well, scoring 10 in the league and 11 in all competitions during the 2017-18 season.

Rooney took over at DC United earlier in 2022 with the MLS side struggling towards the foot of the table and brought in some signings, with former Premier League players Christian Benteke and Ravel Morrison among those to move to Audi Field, but they failed to climb into the playoff places in the previous campaign.

Rooney also handed a debut to Matai Akinmboni last season, with the 15-year-old becoming the third-youngest player in MLS history.

“He’s 15 and I have to protect him,” Rooney said of the teenager after giving him a 45-minute run-out against Real Salt Lake.

“But I just felt he was ready to come in and play. Is he going to play every game? Of course not. He’s still a very young boy.

This is what social media users said as Wayne Rooney labels old Everton team-mates ‘crap’ in a hilarious yet brutal interview…

@LiamGranby: got that one right @WayneRooney lad sayin that the whole team was thats why an 16 year old ran the show for them 🤣🤣

@naIyD_: We finished 4th the season after he left x

@23Ash_19: I thought he was gonna say it was a dream come true not that 😂😂😂😂😂

@Matt_W1985: Rooney at that age was absolutely devastating. He was levels above most people in the league, never mind Everton. I still remember his UCL debut for United and the confidence and ability to perform he showed that night was off the charts!!

@mancityneil: I met him recently and he was a really nice bloke.

@MattDoyle_21: Kin hell Wayne .

@BardBottom: I always knew that there were players at the Lobster and playing in Crocky gym on a Friday after work who were better than the likes of Pembridge. He’s right, it was mad.

@otheranthony: Rooney was ridiculous at that stage. It’s no surprise 😂

@tinscognito__: Gone at this, what an ending

@dominic_trout: Rooney is really growing on me these days.

@WatchedToffee: He’s not wrong. We were so close to the wall due to the mismanagement of the club by the Chairman than his fire sale to Manchester United literally kept the club afloat.

@OriginalJamel: This is brilliant but funnier knowing he’d become one of the greatest English players. Going into a team as an academy player and almost instantly being the most talented is so bizarre 😂

@danw_1986: Was expecting sex noises, it was actually much funnier.

@alexc95_: Even Rooney thought Duncan was shite 😂😂

@DocJ_MUFC: Always liked him. Lol.

@gflan02: We’re still crap Wayne

@JamieBurdekin1: At least he’s honest. 👌🏼

@AdamRuckley: 🤣🤣Classic from Wayne. I don’t actually think he is intentionally trying to be disrespectful here, just being honest. He was without doubt the most complete and technically gifted teenager this league has ever seen.

@NFESpur: I have the sound off and thought i was watching the royal family

@peterblue66: I don’t care how good he was, I’ve never heard any player disrespect the the loved like this. Being humble goes a long way…why would he need to say that.

@Scamzel: This is how united academy players feel about McTominay

@dixie2107: Don’t even think he’s trying to be disrespectful as well 😁 he was literally streets ahead of the team at 16. I was a ball boy for every home game in his 1st season, the most electric player still seen live to this day. Could do everything. Aged 16-21 he was frightening 🔥

@sickpatton: absolutely brilliant, what a player he was and that’s what you call a winning mentality #MUFC

@ItzMikeO: Watched this 3 times now, gets funnier each time 🤣🤣🤣

@ZakHibbert: love a footballer who actually speaks his mind 🤣🤣