DAVID MOYES believes Wayne Rooney would relish the chance to re-join Everton in the future.

The Blues boss admits he would not hesitate to welcome the former Goodison prodigy back, as he hailed his rare ability on the 10th anniversary of the striker’s first Premier League goal.

Boyhood Evertonian Rooney famously helped the Blues to victory over Arsenal with a stunning strike to end their 30-match unbeaten run in October 2002 – before moving to Manchester United two years later for £20m.

Moyes said: “I would definitely welcome Wayne returning here. It’s in his blood. But it’s probably more likely to be later on in his career. I think it might be something that he’d even welcome.

“I always say Wayne Rooney helped me as a manager. It got my name out there. I was the manager who was playing Wayne Rooney and for that I’ll always be grateful that Wayne was at Everton when I arrived.

“I was able to put him into the team and all the media and public saw one of England’s finest if not their finest player.

“It helped my profile and I think it helped Everton as well. It drew more attention to them. In the dressing rooms at Goodison I’ve had four or five times you can hear the supporters signing out the back and down the streets on the way home, and I remember it that day after that game.

“They’d seen one of the boys that was probably one of the last street footballers, he was one of them. It was a massive win for us to beat Arsenal, given the team they had at the time.”

Rooney scored another 16 times for the Toffees in 77 games before moving to Old Trafford, but even from his first day as Everton manager Moyes said he knew of the prospect he had at the club.

“Wayne wasn’t fazed much, but at that stage he didn’t speak much,” he said. “You got a grunt out of him. You didn’t know if he was or not. Most people would have a nervousness and I’m sure he had a little bit. But the way he interacted with players, he had a football intelligence, and had the strength of a grown man. He didn’t mind getting kicked.

“Defenders might have thought they’d sort this 16-year-old out by going through the back of him or nut him in the back of the head, but Wayne would have quite enjoyed that.

“Whereas a lot of young players might not like the physical side of it. Wayne could deal with that straight away.

“It has been interesting watching him develop. A lot of people had said David Moyes couldn’t control or handle Wayne, and he’d be better going off to Sir Alex at Manchester United, but I think Sir Alex has had his problems with him as well at times.”

Moyes admitted a player of Rooney’s potential is rare – even at an academy with a success rate as impressive as Everton’s.

“We say to the young lads coming through, we put Wayne in the team when he was 16,” he says. “We put James Vaughan in when he was 16. We put Jack Rodwell in when he was 16. We are a pretty good club for introducing young players, and Wayne will always be the one. Wayne Rooney started his career here.

“Every young player who comes here will know what happened with Wayne Rooney, but you rarely get players like him. He’s the last of his type.

“The other players that have come in since him have largely been, for want of a better phrase, manufactured through the system. Wayne may have gone through the system as well, but you can imagine him back at home kicking the ball around the streets.

“In fact that was one of the worries when he first got into the team, that he’d be playing afterwards again in the street.”