MX23RW : Friday, June 14 04:28:24| >> :120:11321:11321:

On this day in 2004: Wayne Rooney enjoys dream Manchester United debut

On this day in 2004: Wayne Rooney enjoys dream Manchester United debut
© Reuters
Wayne Rooney's show-stopping bow for the Red Devils came 17 years ago.

Wayne Rooney marked his Manchester United debut in sensational fashion with a Champions League hat-trick against Fenerbahce on September 28, 2004.

Sir Alex Ferguson had been waiting for the teenager's foot injury to heal before throwing him into action after paying Everton £27million for his services.

It took Rooney 17 minutes to open his account, firing in an unstoppable shot from just outside the box, and he grabbed his second 11 minutes later with another well-struck effort.

The 18-year-old saved the best for last, sending a free-kick flying into the net nine minutes after the break to complete his treble.

Ferguson tried to play down Rooney's achievement afterwards, saying: "It's a great start for him. That's why we signed him as he's got great potential.

"But I would rather talk about the game to be honest. He is only 18 and a young boy, don't forget.

Ryan Giggs jumps on Wayne Rooney's back after his hat-trick goal
Ryan Giggs jumps on Wayne Rooney's back after his hat-trick goal (Phil Noble/PA)

"He obviously tired in the last 20 minutes but, given that it was his first game since the European Championship, you could expect that. I think he can only get stronger.

"The important thing for me as a coach is to allow the boy to develop naturally without too much public attention. I want him to be as ordinary as he can."

Hype was inevitable, of course, and Rooney remained the centre of attention throughout his 13 years at Old Trafford.

He became United's record goalscorer with 253 goals before leaving the club in 2017.

ID:465783:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect3978:
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
England's Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho during training on July 8, 2021
Read Next:
Marcus Rashford hopes to resume contact training soon after shoulder surgery
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
Read more about Wayne Rooney Football
rhs 2.0
Euro 2024 fixtures header
Friday, June 14
 
8pm
Saturday, June 15
 
5pm
 
8pm
Sunday, June 16
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Monday, June 17
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, June 18
 
5pm
Wednesday, June 19
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Thursday, June 20
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Group Stage
Spain
vs.
Italy
Friday, June 21
 
2pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
Saturday, June 22
 
5pm
 
8pm
Sunday, June 23
 
8pm
 
8pm
Monday, June 24
 
8pm
 
8pm
Tuesday, June 25
 
5pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
 
8pm
Wednesday, June 26
 
5pm
 
5pm
 
8pm
 
8pm
Saturday, June 29
Sunday, June 30
Monday, July 1
Tuesday, July 2
Friday, July 5
Saturday, July 6
Tables header RHS

Group A

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Germany Germany00000
2 Hungary Hungary00000
3 Scotland flag Scotland00000
4 Switzerland Switzerland00000

Group B

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Albania national flag Albania00000
2 Croatia Croatia00000
3 Italy Italy00000
4 Spain Spain00000

Group C

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Denmark Denmark00000
2 England flag England00000
3 Serbia Serbia00000
4 Slovenia Slovenia00000

Group D

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Austria Austria00000
2 France France00000
3 Netherlands Netherlands00000
4 Poland Poland00000

Group E

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Belgium Belgium00000
2 Romania Romania00000
3 Slovakia Slovakia00000
4 Ukraine Ukraine00000

Group F

TeamPWDLPTS
1 Czech Republic Czech Republic00000
2 Georgia Georgia00000
3 Portugal Portugal00000
4 Turkey Turkey00000


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!