Ronald Koeman talking up an Everton return for Wayne Rooney might not be about Rooney at all

Not many things have made Ronald Koeman “very pleased” since he took charge of Everton, but on Friday he revealed that was how he would feel if the opportunity of signing Wayne Rooney presented itself.

For a manager who arrived vowing to raise standards it seemed strange that he would covet a player so obviously in decline, but maybe this was a statement of where Everton are at and if so it would at least make some sense.

On every other level it seems illogical. At 31, Rooney is not only past his best, his deterioration is actually more entrenched than his date of birth would suggest with the miles on the clock providing a greater indication of the condition he is in than his age does. Look beyond the romantic notion of a prodigal son returning to the club he still supports and the idea that Rooney could be the catalyst for an Everton revival is supported by precious little evidence.

The finances of any such deal certainly do not stack up, even in an era when Premier League clubs can afford to waste money on luxuries that they do not need. With a wage of £300,000 per week, Everton would need to make Rooney their best paid player by a considerable distance even if he was willing to take a 50% pay cut.

Farhad Moshiri might have ambition and he might crave a big name signing but there have to be better options than this even if Everton’s ability to attract elite players falls some way short of their owner’s vision of where he wants them to be.

Then there is the question of where Rooney would fit in if he did return. Romelu Lukaku underlined his status as Everton’s number nine with his seventh goal of the season against West Ham United, his favourite victims, while behind him Ross Barkley finally showed signs of emerging from his own dark night of the soul as he scored the goal that guaranteed a scrappy game was settled in favour of Koeman’s side.

Given Rooney has tried and failed to reinvent himself as a central midfielder for both Manchester United and England, it is not clear where he would operate in this Everton team, particularly as one of the main qualities it lacks, drive in central areas, is not something that he is still able to provide.

Barkley is capable of doing that, even if it has not happened anywhere near often enough over the last 18 months for anyone to have confidence that his performance against West Ham will be the start of a prolonged revival in his form.

Koeman is among those who remains unconvinced by Barkley, and the Everton manager’s tough love for the midfielder continued even after he had played a pivotal role as his team recorded its first win in six games.

“Ross Barkley had more impact in the last part of our attacking, not only in scoring but he was dangerous throughout. That’s what the team needs. He can be very good, but it is all about knowing what you need to do. Sometimes I have to shout too much, he needs to run more,” the Everton manager said.

That message is being repeated on a weekly basis. Koeman is aware of Barkley’s talent but he wants to see it displayed more effectively and more consistently and he also wants it to be accompanied by the kind of industry that does not come naturally to the England international. “It was one of his best performances of the season,” Koeman added. “He was working hard, he was making tackles and he was the player between the defence and the midfield who was creating and that’s what you want to see.”

In other words, Barkley was doing the job that Rooney once did but no longer does, and considering he is more than eight years younger than Rooney there is much to be said for the idea of persevering with him rather than running the risk of undermining his development by Everton adding a veteran to their ranks.

Not that anything he had seen persuaded Koeman to reconsider his stance. “Rooney is very welcome,” he said afterwards as the charm offensive continued.

If having such a public interest in Rooney provokes this kind of response from Barkley, Koeman will consider it worthwhile whether the move materialises or not and perhaps that is where the logic is to be found.

He wouldn’t be the first manager to use the possibility of signing a player as a motivational tool to galvanise one that he already has.  

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