Wayne Rooney is welcome to join Crystal Palace – Roy Hodgson

Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney would be welcome to join Crystal Palace if he wished to return to England, according to Roy Hodgson.

Rooney is currently playing in Major League Soccer with DC United, having left Everton in the summer.

The former England captain has started life well in America, scoring 10 goals in 18 games for DC United as they finished sixth in the Eastern Conference.

But, if Rooney ever wished for a return to England, Crystal Palace manager Hodgson insists his club’s doors will be open.

“I am not so certain he would have considered that as an option, but you never know,” Hodgson told reporters (via Football.London).

“I have a great deal of respect for Wayne and I think he does for me.

“We respect each other, but he has thought long and hard about his decision, and without a shadow of doubt he would have talked it over with his family, because he is very much a family man, and they decided at this stage of their lives this is what we need.

“It was a conscious decision to play abroad.

“It was his decision and after Manchester United and Everton, where he had tremendous affinity, tremendous roots, maybe he wouldn’t have been that interested to play for another English club.

“All good players who want to come and play for Crystal Palace are always welcome, should we be able to afford them.

“But I don’t give that too much thought as I have enough players here to occupy my time.”

Rooney has previously played under Hodgson for England, scoring 25 goals in 41 matches during the current Palace manager’s reign in charge of the Three Lions.

Rooney’s career in England

Before hitting the heights of MLS, Rooney spent the first 16 years of his senior career in England, breaking records and winning everything on offer.

Making his breakthrough with Everton as a teenager, Rooney announced himself to the world with a late winner against Arsenal which made him the Premier League’s youngest every goalscorer.

Just two years later he joined Manchester United, where he would enjoy the large part of his career, becoming the club’s all-time top goalscorer with 253 goals in 559 appearances. In the process, Rooney won five Premier League titles, four League Cups, one FA Cup, one Champions League and the Europa League.

Rooney then returned to boyhood club Everton in 2017, spending a year with the Toffees taking his total appearances to 111 in two spells, scoring 26 goals.

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