Gibson: Rooney swayed Everton move

Darron Gibson has revealed that Wayne Rooney played a key role in his move to Everton from Manchester United.

The Irishman left the Red Devils to sign a four-and-a-half year contract with the Merseyside outfit after the clubs agreed an undisclosed fee on Friday.

Rooney came through the ranks at Goodison Park as a youth player, and despite leaving the club to switch to Old Trafford in 2004, he has proved influential in persuading Gibson that a move to David Moyes’ side would be beneficial to him.

“Wayne just told me it was a great club,” Gibson told Evertontv.

“He told me he really enjoyed his time here. He really enjoyed the people here and the players were great as well.”

“I think having a word with him and having a word with people like Tim Cahill and Phil Neville just convinced me the decision was right to come.”

With Ireland having qualified for Euro 2012, Gibson knows a strong second half to the season is essential to his chances of being picked by manager Giovanni Trapattoni.

“Obviously, I wasn’t playing at Man United which means it was hard for the international manager to pick me,” Gibson said.

“Hopefully once I start playing here, he will have no choice but to play me.”