Rooney blames Moyes row for exit

Wayne Rooney has claimed a fall-out with Everton manager David Moyes prompted his exit from Goodison Park.

The England international insists he “would have gone almost anywhere to get away from David Moyes” and considered a move to Newcastle before joining Manchester United in a deal worth £27m (€39m) two years ago.

“If no-one else had come in I would have gone to Newcastle,” says Rooney in his autobiography My Story So Far, serialised in the Daily Mail.

Rooney added: “To me he appeared overbearing, just wanting to control people. I suppose being young and confident and playing for England at 17, I wasn’t bothered about upsetting him or answering back.”

And, while there was interest from St James’ Park, Rooney only wanted to join United when it became apparent Alex Ferguson was interested in him.

“I knew that was the club I wanted to join,” he said.