Wayne Rooney Show: How Sir Alex Ferguson twice moved to sign striker from Everton

Sir Alex Ferguson was so determined to sign teenager Wayne Rooney for Manchester United that he swooped in for the striker twice.

That’s what Everton boss David Moyes revealed on the latest episode of The Wayne Rooney Show, as he gave a behind-the-scenes insight into how Ferguson’s interest first came about.

Then 18, Rooney moved to the Red Devils in August 2004 in a deal worth £27 million.

He scored 15 goals in 67 Premier League appearances for the Toffees and has also been linked with Newcastle.

“I never wanted Wayne to go,” Moyes said.

“The worst was that the man I looked up to so much, Sir Alex Ferguson, called me and said he wanted to meet me at the Haydock Thistle Hotel. I wondered what he wanted.

“I went there and there was a room booked and he came in and said, ‘I want Rooney’. I said, ‘No, he’s not for sale. No way, I’m not selling him’. He said, ‘Okay, okay but you’re not letting him go to Chelsea or somewhere else?’ – and I said, ‘No chance’.

“He said it was fine and kept it fair. He was very straight with me because I told him I didn’t want Wayne to go.”

However, Moyes revealed that it wasn’t long before Ferguson came back with another offer.

He added: “Three or four weeks later I got another call and Ferguson said, ‘I want to meet you again at the same place because I want Wayne and things have progressed’.”

Rooney revealed that Ferguson piqued his interest in signing him following his performances at Euro 2004.

The youngster shone for England, scoring four goals in four games before his tournament ended in the quarter-finals, where the Three Lions lost to Portugal in a penalty shootout.

“Alex Ferguson wanted to wait a year,” said Rooney.

“He wanted to wait another year and then because I did so well at the Euros, it was basically everyone getting ahead of the other, then it became inevitable that I was going to go that summer.”