Rooney Admits That The Merseyside Derby Made Him ‘Feel Sick’

Wayne Rooney is in the headlines once again. The England star has admitted that while at Everton, the Merseyside derby made him feel sick.

What made the Manchester United striker turn back the years? Perhaps it has something to do with the Red Devils traveling to Anfield this Saturday.

Rooney recalled his nightmarish past at Anfield with The Daily Mirror.

“We didn’t win many at Anfield,” Rooney said.

“I used to love the games, but to be honest before I used to feel sick I was so nervous, it was a horrible feeling.

“If you didn’t win the game, if you lost the game, it was dreadful having to go back to school and facing your mates who were Liverpool fans.

“All of my family are massive Everton fans, so to beat Liverpool is always a great feeling and a great day when you do that.

“It’s a big day for United with the rivalry with Liverpool, but for me it’s a massive game.”

At the moment, it seems that Kenny Dalglish has the Merseysiders moving in the right direction, making Saturday’s match-up that much more appetizing. Rooney acknowledged that Liverpool have made significant improvements under Kenny Dalglish.

“I think they’ve made some good signings and obviously with them not qualifying for the Champions League last season I think they’ll be desperate to get back into that,” Rooney added.

“Anfield is always for me the toughest place to go and win a game. They’ll be pushing to get into the top four and, with the signings they’ve got, they’re capable of doing that.

“We’ll have to be aware of them and try and beat them this time.”

Premier League Table

Manchester United are top of the table with 19 points through seven games going into Saturday’s match. Liverpool are not far behind with 13 points in seven matches.

You can disregard where these two clubs are in the table because a bitter rivalry can conjure up any result. A perfect example would be last season’s game at Anfield, which proved to be a miserable one for Manchester United.

Behind a hat-trick from Dutch forward Dirk Kuyt, Liverpool dominated United to the tune of a 3-1 result. The lone goal for the Red Devils was a 90th minute consolation striker for Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez.

Chicharito Pens New Deal

Speaking of Javier Hernandez, the Mexican sensation has just signed a new five-year contract with United.

 “We have renegotiated Javier’s contract and he is now committed for five years with Manchester United,” said Hernandez’s agent.

“The initial contract was good for Manchester and for Javier because it enabled them both to see if they could fit together and if he could achieve what was expected of him. Both sides have met their expectations and United were happy to reward Javier after his very good performances last season.

“I will not talk about numbers, but it is a five-year contract. It is a fixed salary with incentives based on the team’s success in each of the different tournaments.

“Javier was not badly paid with his initial contract, but it was his first contract and, with respect, not comparable with the likes of Wayne Rooney and Nani. But today I can say that the contract has just been signed and everyone is satisfied.”