Tag: Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney has started his community service painting benches at a garden centre for disabled adults near his £6million home.

The Everton striker was ordered to undertake 100 hours unpaid work after being caught drink-driving.

The married father-of-three was driving 29-year-old Laura Simpson’s car back to her house.

The former England captain had met the office worker in a bar in Wilmslow while his pregnant wife Coleen was on holiday with their three children.

When stopped by police at 2am, over a faulty tail light, he had 104mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath making him three times over the limit.

Rooney admitted drink driving in court last month.

Conveniently the garden centre where he is undertaking his service is just three miles from his luxurious £6million property in Prestbury, Cheshire.

But despite the close proximity, the £150,000-a-week star was chauffeured to his shift.

At 8.40am this morning, he began his shift wearing a blue jacket, blue hoodie, matching blue bottoms and black Nike trainers.

The garden centre is the same venue where former Manchester United team mate Carlos Tevez was ordered to work after he was banned four years ago.

Rooney retired from playing for his country earlier this year and seized the chance to clock up some hours community service while the Premier League is on hold.

Once there, Rooney, 31, put on a green zip-up fleece, worn by colleagues and spent all his time inside

It is understood he has been given routine maintenance tasks as disadvantaged adults around him learn new skills, including plant potting, and woodwork.

He said: ‘I accept the court’s decision and hope I can make amends through my community service.’

He was arrested in the early hours of September 1 as he drove a VW Beetle belonging to Laura Simpson, 29, in the passenger seat.

The news came as a shock to his wife Coleen, who is expecting their fourth child.  She has not been seen with her wedding ring since.

Everton forward Wayne Rooney has been passed fit to face Burnley after a scan ended fears he had broken his hand

Rooney played the whole match and scored as Everton were held to a 2-2 Europa League draw against Apollon Limassol at Goodison Park on Thursday.

But the former England striker had to be treated with bandages and take painkillers in the first half after suffering what looked like a nasty hand injury when he was stood on by an opponent.

Tests, though, have confirmed no serious damage has been caused, so Rooney is in contention for Sunday’s home match against Burnley, with the status of defensive duo Michael Keane (foot) and Phil Jagielka (hamstring) less certain.

“Wayne had a scan on his hand this morning and it is fine – there is no fracture,” Koeman said at his pre-match media conference.

“I hope to have some positive news on Saturday – we need to make a decision about Michael Keane and Phil Jagielka whether they are available for Sunday, but they are doubtful.

“It’s always important to have everybody available, because all these players are quality, experienced players and that’s what you need in a difficult situation.”

On midfielder James McCarthy’s recovery from a knee injury, Koeman added: “He needs game time first in the Under-23s to play – that’s how players need to come back after a long time being injured.”

Everton are looking to lift spirits after the Apollon draw, which left them bottom of Group E and followed a difficult start to the Premier League campaign that has left Koeman under pressure.

“I’m too long in this job to lose my confidence, but yes, I’m worried about the situation and how we can turn it around,” said the Everton boss.

“I have enough confidence to be the same manager as I was for the past six or seven years, when I was successful

“Football can be strange, football can be difficult, but Thursday can’t be compared to Sunday because the opponent is totally different

“If we win maybe we are back, but if we don’t win Monday will be totally different and that is football

“Maybe [the players’ fear came from] the pressure to win the game. We try to analyse everything, but we are human people.

“The situation [in the league] was possible to expect when we knew all the fixtures in the beginning

“You can see it as really negative for our position in the Premier League, but you can lose against Chelsea, Tottenham and Man United. We played 10 more games and we lost one of 10. It’s not all so negative.”

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has opened the door for Wayne Rooney to return to Goodison Park.

Manchester United’s record goal scorer has been linked with a move back to his boyhood club, having struggled to hold down a regular place under Jose Mourinho.

Rooney’s agent was in China this month, assessing the player’s options, but the 31-year-old last week issued a statement insisting he was staying at Old Trafford.

However, his long-term future remains in doubt, and Koeman is ready to make a move in the summer to bring Rooney back to where it all began.

“I believe that Wayne Rooney is still playing at a high level,” the Dutchman told Sky Sports. “I think he made a good choice to stay at Manchester United and in the Premier League because he has still two or three years in front of him to play on a high level.

“What will happen at the end of the season? I don’t know but in my opinion he is one of the players who can make Everton stronger.

“It’s all about what the player likes, what Manchester United needs to do, and we are not involved in that project.

Wayne Rooney has scored two Premier League goals this season.

“But every player that we at Everton think can make the team stronger is welcome to Everton.”

Rooney progressed through the ranks in the Toffees’ academy, having joined at the age of nine, and his rise accelerated in his mid-teens as he moved from the youth side to become a first-team regular.

He made his debut aged 16 on the opening day of the 2002-03 campaign against Tottenham and six weeks later became Everton’s youngest scorer with two goals against Wrexham in the League Cup. He scored his first Premier League goal a fortnight later,a last-minute winner against Arsenal five days before his 17th birthday.

Everton were unable to hang on to Rooney when United came in the summer of 2004 but there is now a prospect of him making the move back to Merseyside.