When Everton announced they would be bringing back Wayne Rooney from Manchester United, the responses were mixed.
After all, the England and Manchester United top scorer had been on the decline with the Red Devils, but a few thought that maybe, just maybe, a change would do him some good and the star of old would return.
That hasn’t quite been the case, but that doesn’t mean Rooney hasn’t had a positive influence in the dressing room, even if the Toffees have struggled on the pitch.
Speaking to L’Observateur, relayed by PressAfrik, Idrissa Gueye recalled his first experiences being around the former Manchester United star.
He said: “It was a dream come true, because when I was in Senegal, I watched Wayne Rooney on the TV, a great player that everyone loved because of his fighting spirit, his manner of playing and scoring goals. We saw him as a warrior, a crazy guy.
“So to find myself today in the same dressing room, frankly, it’s a dream. At the start, I was a bit timid and I didn’t dare speak to him.”
Asking Morgan Schneiderlin to introduce him, the Senegal international eventually got the chance to have a conversation with one of his idols, and now gets to play with him week in, week out.
Gueye continued: “We spoke and had a laugh. In the end, I realised he’s a really nice guy, super humble and who comes down to our level to reassure us, and that’s why we get on in the dressing room.
“He jokes and we have a laugh. Now, it’s as if I’ve played with him my entire career.”
