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Rooney explains China, MLS snubs: 'That's not me'

Clive Brunskill / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Former Manchester United and current Everton star Wayne Rooney explained why he chose not to make a big-money move to Major League Soccer or the Chinese Super League when he was heading out the door at Old Trafford, telling former Toffees teammate Kevin Kilbane that it would not fit his character.

"That's not me, I need those goals, I need that pressure. That desire to play would have been lost if I'd chosen that other option," Rooney told Kilbane on "Football Focus," as quoted by BBC Sport.

The 32-year-old returned to Goodison Park on a two-year deal last summer - to the delight of those who remember the England icon's teenage years fondly - but he was also the subject of interest from abroad, where, as Rooney put it, he could have been "earning a lot of money."

But ultimately, Rooney's heart was on Merseyside, and a trip abroad like fellow England teammates Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Ashley Cole, and David Beckham didn't have that same appeal to him.

"I knew that coming back to Everton was more pressure - that's what I wanted," he said. "I wanted to prove myself again to the Everton fans and to try to help this club move forward and win silverware.

"I think it was the perfect fit for me and hopefully in the next two or three years we can do that."

Indeed, Rooney fit back into Everton admirably, figuring in 27 matches across all competitions and scoring 11 goals.

And though the Toffees underwent a managerial change when David Unsworth replaced Ronald Koeman at the helm, Rooney remains an important figure in the ninth-placed Premier League side.

He likely has a few years left before he would consider retirement, but as Rooney's role changes from an out-and-out striker to a midfielder, he's also begun contemplating what life - and football - will look like in the coming years.

"I'm an honest player - if I feel I'm not good enough to play, I wouldn't put myself in that position where I'm hanging on and thinking I need to keep going and keep trying," he said.

"If I'm not good enough to be in the team then I'm honest enough to say that will be the time to finish playing."

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