Rooney to ruin West Ham party?

Wayne Rooney has enjoyed some memorable moments at the Boleyn Ground during his career, so could the Manchester United forward once again deliver in the final match to be played at the famous old stadium?

The sight of Wayne Rooney warming up on the touchline at last month’s FA Cup quarter-final replay at the Boleyn Ground would certainly have filled Slaven Bilic with a feeling of unease.  

“I would rather him not play, put it that way. 100 per cent, 70 per cent fit, I would rather him watch the game,” the West Ham manager said of Rooney ahead of that match. 

There was good reason for Bilic’s comment. No player has scored more for United against West Ham than Rooney – 12 goals in 17 matches to be precise. 

As it turned out, Rooney’s return to action from a knee injury as an 89th-minute substitute was understandably uneventful for him, something out of keeping from his previous visits to east London. 

The United skipper has certainly enjoyed his previous trips down south to face West Ham and can look back at a catalogue of extraordinary goalscoring and match-turning moments. But his first memorable outing at the Boleyn did not come for United, or even for Everton, it came in an England shirt in February 2003. 

England debut

Rooney, a then precocious 17-year-old, had announced himself to the footballing world five months earlier by scoring a stunning last-minute winner for Everton against Arsenal. From that moment on, Rooney continued to make waves in the Premier League and was rewarded for his breakthrough campaign by being named in Sven-Goran Eriksson’s England squad for the friendly clash against Australia.

England played the match in the unfamiliar surroundings of the Boleyn Ground as a consequence of the Football Association taking the Three Lions on a tour around the country during the construction of the new Wembley Stadium. 

The 34,950 in attendance would scarcely have thought they were about to witness the debut of a future England captain, but there was no doubting Rooney’s promise as he emerged from the tunnel as a second-half substitute to become the Three Lions’ youngest senior international (later superseded by a 16-year-old Theo Walcott in 2006).

Rooney’s debut appearance and performance provided a bright note on an otherwise poor evening for England as they slumped to a surprise 3-1 defeat. His involvement in the …

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