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Rooney hailed as the next Owen Posted: Wednesday August 07, 2002 12:16 PM
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) -- He hasn't played his first Premier League match but already Everton's 16-year-old striker Wayne Rooney is being hailed as the next Michael Owen. Rooney, who turns 17 in October, is considered one of the hottest prospects in British soccer and is expected to follow in the footsteps of the Liverpool and England striker. Owen was 17-years, 145-days old when he made his Premier League debut. Rooney is expected to still be 16 when he takes his first bow, which could come in Everton's Aug. 17 opener as the Premier League gets underway. The youngest player in the top-flight of English soccer was Sunderland goalkeeper Derek Forster who was 15 years, 185 days when he made his debut against Leicester in 1964. Joining Everton as a nine-year-old, Rooney quickly moved through the club's ranks and was playing in Everton's under-19 side when he was just 15. He was last season's top player in the FA Youth Cup final despite Everton losing 4-2 to Aston Villa and has been the star of Everton's preseason campaign. "I did a radio interview yesterday and I tried to play down Rooney, but you can't play down Rooney," Everton deputy chairman Bill Kenwright said. "How can you play down the greatest thing around in football?" Experts say Rooney, who grew up in Liverpool, combines an eye for the goal with blistering pace. He is 5-feet-10 (1.78 meters) and, according to his manager David Moyes, one of the strongest 16-year-olds he has seen. "He's very strong, one of the strongest I have seen at his age and he is capable of playing in the Premiership now with the physical stature he already has," Moyes said. Currently on a three-year scholarship with Everton, Rooney has told Moyes he will sign professional terms when he is eligible at 17. With his Premier League debut pending, both Liverpool and Manchester United have tried to land him. Sporting goods manufacturer Umbro has already signed the youngster to a lucrative new sponsorship deal -- similar to Owen's first agreement. "We are expecting big things from him over the next few years and we wanted him at an early age," an Umbro spokesman said. "We did exactly the same with Michael Owen. When we approached him he was unknown but within two years he was scoring against Argentina." Moyes has promised to protect Rooney from pressure, the same kind magnifying glass that Ryan Giggs, Joe Cole and Owen were placed under when they made their debuts. "There is a bit too much pressure on him at the moment, and we will look after him because he is still a baby in terms of professional football," Moyes said. "We will take care of him at the right times, he will go back into the reserves and even the youth team. But he has grown up very quickly and he has been fabulous in the preseason games." "We are aware that at different times he will need to be pulled out of things and given a rest and left alone for a while." "But we are aware of the hype and what people keep saying about him, I will do everything I can to protect him from all of that. We want to go along quietly with him, but he's not making it easy by making a name for himself already.
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