What can you say about Wayne Rooney that hasn’t already been said? A Manchester United legend, England’s greatest ever goal scorer, and a player who has achieved it all at club level. Despite becoming United’s greatest goalscorer after surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton and returning to his boyhood club Everton 13 years after leaving them for the red side of Manchester, Rooney’s last few seasons in the Premier League were underwhelming when compared to the rest of his star-studded career.

The American change

So when the news came that 32-year-old Rooney would be swapping Merseyside for the capital city of America and joining D.C. United, many fans on both sides of the Atlantic were sceptical. In the past, players who had spent their entire careers in Europe and then made the move to the US in their final two or three years found it difficult to adjust. Some, like Frank Lampard and David Beckham, found it tough at first but eventually found their feet. Others, such as Steven Gerrard and Andrea Pirlo, were never able to adapt to their new settings and ultimately flopped in the so-called “Retirement League”. Rooney, obviously, didn’t read the script.