Wayne Rooney Testimonial: Live Stream, TV Info for Manchester United vs. Everton
Wednesday night at Old Trafford will be a special occasion for Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney, as he faces his boyhood club Everton in his testimonial.
The forward made the switch from Merseyside to Manchester in the summer of 2004 and has gone on to enjoy a tremendous spell with the Red Devils spanning over a decade. The match will commemorate the service Rooney has given to United, and the money raised will be donated to four different charities associated with the striker.
With the Premier League season looming the game will also be a chance for both teams to continue their preparations for the new campaign. Here are the key viewing details for the contest and a closer look at how things are likely to pan out at Old Trafford.
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Date: Wednesday, August 3
Time: 8 p.m. (BST), 3 p.m. (ET)
TV Info: BT Sport (U.K.)
Live Stream: BT Sport Website (U.K.)
Rooney Testimonial Set to Be Serious Clash
When Rooney made his controversial switch to United in the summer of 2004, he left plenty at Goodison Park feeling bitter and betrayed.
As a youngster, the forward did little to quell tensions on his return to his former stomping ground, goading supporters and kissing the United badge. But as he’s matured and time has healed the wounds of Everton supporters, the feeling has mellowed. Indeed, Rooney even turned out in the blue of his former club for Duncan Ferguson’s testimonial last summer.
“I owe United and Everton everything for giving me my footballing opportunities,” said Rooney when the testimonial was announced, per the Liverpool Echo’s Greg O’Keeffe. “Through the Wayne Rooney Foundation I want to put something back and, at the same time, say a heartfelt thanks to everyone at these great clubs who ever helped me in my career.”
The man himself revealed on Twitter he can’t wait to take to the field with his family:
While Rooney lit up the Premier League as a teenager with the Toffees, his finest moments in football have come in United colours.
The 30-year-old has won five league titles with the Red Devils, the FA Cup last season and most memorably, the UEFA Champions League in the 2007-08 term. He’s the club’s second-highest goalscorer of all time, too, with 245 goals; Sir Bobby Charlton is just four ahead on 249.
So expect a brilliant reception for the United captain on Wednesday. There will be benefits from the game too, with the proceeds set to be divided between the NSPCC, Claire House Children's hospice, Alder Hey Children's hospital and the Manchester United Foundation, per the United website.
The spotlight will also be on football with this match a vital one as both sides prepare for the 2016-17 season. As we can see courtesy of the United Twitter feed, Rooney’s been among the goals in pre-season, netting twice against Galatasaray in a recent 5-2 win:
United manager Jose Mourinho will want to see his new side in action against a decent Premier League outfit, too; for the Old Trafford crowd it will also be the first chance to catch a glimpse of summer signings Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as well as their new boss.
Everton’s own pre-season is still stuck in first gear, with Maarten Stekelenburg their only major signing so far; Ronald Koeman’s side have also had to put up with speculation over the futures of both John Stones and Romelu Lukaku, so it’ll be intriguing to see whether either of those two feature on the night.
Rooney will naturally be the focus, though, and there should be unanimous respect from those in attendance of a Premier League great. For the United skipper, such a scenario would have been tough to foresee when he stirred up such anger among his own 12 years ago.
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