Rooney return to Everton would please Koeman

LONDON (Reuters) - Everton manager Ronald Koeman has said he would be interested in bringing Wayne Rooney back to Goodison Park from Manchester United. The striker's future has been uncertain since he was dropped by United manager Jose Mourinho last month, with possible moves to the United States and China being touted. A return to his boyhood club which he left for United for 27 million pounds ($32.87 million) in 2004 would offer the 31-year-old Rooney a way to stay in the Premier League without even moving from his Cheshire home. Asked on Friday if he would like to sign Rooney, Koeman said: "He is a great player and he still hasn’t finished his career. I don’t know what his situation is, I need to respect that. "But even if there is a possibility that Rooney was an option for Everton, I would be very pleased." Rooney's dealings with Everton have been strained, with some supporters critical of the way he left, but he has also been linked with a return by his former Everton team mate Leon Osman. "I think he has been mending bridges for a couple of seasons now and you know he is an Evertonian at heart," Osman said. "I am pretty sure he would love to come back and I hope it happens." Rooney has not started a league game for United since facing Watford on Sept. 18 and missed last weekend's rout by Chelsea with injury. (Reporting by Neil Robinson; editing by Rex Gowar)