Wayne Rooney has named the former Everton manager he really loved playing under during his second spell at Goodison Park.
The Manchester United legend famously came through the ranks on Merseyside under David Moyes before making the move to Old Trafford.
Now the manager of Plymouth Argyle, the 38-year-old is looking to bounce back after an ill-fated spell with Birmingham City.
Before he properly gets to work in the West Country, Rooney has regularly worked with the BBC, most recently during their coverage of France’s Euro 2024 clash against the Netherlands.
And the former Toffee had some very kind words about Dutch manager Ronald Koeman.
Wayne Rooney praises Ronald Koeman’s influence at Everton
Koeman was instrumental in Rooney’s return to Goodison Park in 2017, and the now-BBC pundit only had kind words to say about the Dutchman.
“He was really calm and really assuring, and he was great to work with, really,” he explained [BBC coverage].”
Rooney also claimed Koeman lost his job mainly due to a tough run of fixtures.
He added: “I think his time ended at Everton – we went through a tough run of fixtures to start the season and he lost his job. For me, when the first time I met him to join and play for him, I really respected him as a coach, but as a human being, I thought he was fantastic to work with.”
How bad was Ronald Koeman’s spell at Everton?
Of course, many wanted Koeman’s reign to come to an abrupt end.
But, on the face of it, the Dutchman’s record at Goodison Park wasn’t anywhere as near as bad as some of the names to follow in his footsteps.
Frank Lampard, Rafael Benitez, and Marco Silva all had lower win rates. Furthermore, Sean Dyche’s 35 per cent win rate is also lower.
Perhaps Koeman was a victim of the situation at Goodison Park, but he’s clearly not quite as bad as many make out.