Credit: Imago

James Barker

Fri 29 May 2026 15:06, UK

Wayne Rooney left Everton to sign for Manchester United in 2004, and Toffees boss David Moyes has revealed the lengths he went to try and prevent that happening.

It was summer 2004, and one of the brightest young talents in English, and indeed, world football, was emerging into a star at Goodison Park.

Just 18-years old at the time, Rooney was fresh off the back from scoring nine goals and providing four assists for the Toffees in 34 Premier League appearances during the 2003-04 season.

He’d turned out 33 times in England’s top-flight the year prior to that as well, with his talent and potential immediately obvious to all who watched him play at that time.

As such, Everton realistically knew it was only a matter of time before Rooney would be poached in a big-money transfer, it was just a case of where and when he would go, not if.

What did David Moyes say on Wayne Rooney’s Everton exit?

Those two questions would be answered in late August 2004, when Rooney penned a six-year contract to sign for Man United.

Everton banked an initial £20million fee for the teenager, with add-ons taking the total package up to £27m, which was a huge amount of money for a player, especially an 18-year-old, in those days.

The rest, as they say, is history, with Rooney evolving into one of the finest strikers of his generation, shattering numerous domestic and international records along the way.

Of course, Moyes was Everton manager at the time of Rooney’s move to Old Trafford, and the Toffees boss has now revealed what was said between him and Ferguson when it came to the legendary United boss trying to negotiate with him.

“Sir Alex (Ferguson) phoned me and he said, ‘I want to meet you in the Haydock Thistle Hotel’,” Moyes said on The Wayne Rooney Show, sitting alongside Rooney.

“I went ‘Oh what’s this he wants?’ Got in there and waited, there was a room booked, and he comes in and says ‘I want Rooney.’

"I want Rooney."

David Moyes reveals what happened when Sir Alex Ferguson told him that he wanted to bring the striker to Old Trafford. pic.twitter.com/R8t8fegqD8

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) May 29, 2026

“I said, ‘Nah, he’s not for sale. No chance, I’m not selling him.’ And he says, ‘Okay, that’s fine, but you’re not letting him go to Chelsea or anywhere else.’

“I said, ‘No chance.’ Now, I don’t know the time, maybe three or four weeks later, I get another call, ‘Meet you at the same place again.’

“This time it was, you know, ‘I want Wayne.’ Things had moved on and I found it very difficult. It was even worse when it was the Euros in Portugal at the time, because Wayne was wanted by every man and his dog.”

Moyes then spoke on the impact that Euro 2004 had on Rooney’s eventual transfer, and the work he did over there to try and keep an eye on his young prodigy.

October 19, 2002: “Remember the name, Wayne Rooney!”

16-year-old Wayne Rooney scores his first Premier League goal, a game-winner at Goodison Park in the 90th minute to propel Everton to a 2-1 win & end Arsenal's 30-match unbeaten streak. pic.twitter.com/eFUAaQ5Oog

— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) October 19, 2023

“I was out there (Portugal) and it was with the family in the Algarve, and I was driving up to the games in Lisbon and all around where England where,” he continued.

“I’m hearing Paul’s (Stretford, Rooney’s agent) stories in the paper. He’s meeting people on yachts, and I’m saying, ‘Oh no, how could I stop this?’

How much would 2004 Rooney be worth now?

£27m was a big sum of cash for Rooney at the time, but looking at the deal through a modern lense, Everton look like they were left short-changed by some margin.

So, if the Rooney of 2004 was heading into this summer’s transfer window, how much might Everton realistically get for him?

Well, he’d already played just shy of 70 times in the Premier League and had 20 goal contributions under his belt, with another key point to factor in being that he, of course, is English.

▪️ 2002: 16-year-old Wayne Rooney scores against Arsenal to become the Premier League’s youngest-ever goalscorer

▪️ 2026: 16-year-old Max Dowman scores against Everton to become the Premier League’s youngest-ever goalscorer

David Moyes was Everton manager on both occasions 🤯 pic.twitter.com/b0lR70i7q5

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) March 17, 2026

Rooney was also sold off the back of netting four times at Euro 2004, and briefly became the youngest ever scorer in the competitions when bagging a brace against Switzerland.

All things considered, that version of Rooney hitting the market today would surely command a fee in the region of £120-140m, as there were very few players on the planet better than him for his age at that time.

Updated 24/7 with expert analysis from the heart of Goodison Park.