Wayne Rooney will face the most hostile reception of his career when the under-fire Manchester United striker makes his latest return to Everton today.
A trip to Merseyside is the last thing Rooney needs after newspaper allegations that he paid two prostitutes for sex while his wife Coleen was pregnant with the couple’s first child.
Reports that Coleen has refused to listen to Rooney’s side of the story have been seen as a sign he faces a fight to save his marriage, but he didn’t seem fazed as he scored for England against Switzerland on Tuesday.
It may have helped that Rooney suffered little or no negative reaction from a sedate crowd in Basel. However, a far more vitriolic atmosphere lies in wait at Goodison Park.
If United boss Sir Alex Ferguson decides Rooney is in the right frame of mind to start, he will be exposing the former Everton star to 90 minutes of constant abuse from fans still bitter over their former idol’s move to Old Trafford in 2004.
Banners reading: “Once a blue, now a red, in our hearts you are dead” greeted Rooney on previous visits to Goodison, but that will be mild compared to the reception this time, according to Everton defender Phil Jagielka.
“He normally gets quite a bit of stick and I can’t see that changing on Saturday,” Jagielka said. “It should be amusing, but I hope no one crosses the line because we are all human beings. Sometimes football takes over and you never know what is going to happen.”
While Rooney and United steel themselves to face Everton, champions Chelsea will expect to extend their perfect start to the season when they travel to bottom of the table West Ham.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side are top of the table after three wins, including two 6-0 routs.
Yet Ancelotti, who plans a long stay at Stamford Bridge, still wants more from his players and he said: “In football there are a lot of things, a lot of details that you can always improve. Every experience can give you the possibility to improve.”
“My desire is to be here for 25 years. I don’t know if it’s possible, but I hope to stay for a long time,” he said.
Arsenal’s hopes of keeping pace with Chelsea suffered a double blow over the last seven days when Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott were both sidelined for several weeks with ankle injuries.
Losing two match-winners of that quality will heap pressure on captain Cesc Fabregas to recapture the magnificent form he showed for much of last season, starting against Bolton at the Emirates Stadium this weekend.
Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham were also hit by injury problems during the international break as England duo Jermain Defoe and Michael Dawson were ruled out for up to two months each.
With Defoe out, Peter Crouch will return from a back injury when Harry Redknapp’s team travel to West Brom, while Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart could be on the Tottenham bench after his move from Real Madrid.
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