Wayne Rooney

23/6/05 8:13 AM
Review 04/05: Wayne RooneyFresh from starring in Euro 2004, Wayne swapped Merseyside for Manchester and spent the entire season showing why he is regarded as one of the great young talents in world football...

WAYNE ROONEY: UNITED FACTFILETotal United appearances: 43Total goals: 172004/05 BreakdownAppearances/goals: 43 (17)Premiership: 29 (11)Champions League: 6 (3)FA Cup: 6 (3)League Cup: 2
Video: Rooney Under The Spotlight
Profile: View Wayne's New BiographyAs entrances go, it was a pretty spectacular one.
In 90 glorious minutes Rooney showed the world that he was born to be a Manchester United player as he hammered an unforgettable debut hat-trick against Turkish champions FenerbahceThat, of course, wasn't news to Sir Alex Ferguson, who had persuaded chief executive David Gill to part with just under £30million for the 19-year-old on the final day of the transfer window.
At the time a delighted Sir Alex announced: “I am very excited, I think we have got the best young player this country has seen in the past 30 years."
Such acclaim doesn't come lightly, and Rooney set about validating his new manager's comments, as well as the Club's substantial outlay, over the remainder of the season.
Wayne marked his 19th birthday in style, firstly winning a penalty and then scoring the second goal as United ended Arsenal's long unbeaten run in the unabating October rain at Old Trafford.
It was Rooney's first Premiership goal, and he notched a further 10 league and three FA Cup goals to end the season as the Reds' top scorer with 17 in total.
Included were two stunning strikes in the FA Cup fourth round win over Middlesbrough - one a 40-yard lob, the other a screaming first-time volley into the top corner.
Those stunning efforts were eclipsed, however, against Newcastle at Old Trafford. With the Reds trailing, Rooney unleashed a stunning 30-yard volley which swerved fiercely into Shay Given's top corner.
It was a fitting prelude to the events of the same evening, where Wayne travelled to London to be crowned the PFA Young Player of the Year.
The season did end on a sour note, though. Despite a man-of-the-match display, Rooney couldn't end his debut season with a winner's medal as the Reds somehow contrived to lose the FA Cup Final on penalties to Arsenal.
But Wayne has emerged as one of the huge plus points from last season. The skill, strength and tenacity that has underscored his short career becomes more evident by the game, and it is hard to recall a more natural footballer to have graced the Red shirt.
With an imperious football brain, a knack for making the most difficult skills look simple and enough fire in the belly to start a forest fire, Wayne Rooney has all the potential to be a Manchester United legend.Report by Steve Bartram.

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