WAYNE ROONEY - OPTA PLAYER OF THE MONTH

Thursday 8 April 2004, 11:06

After making a big impact on the international scene at the beginning of the season, Wayne Rooney struggled to reproduce his England form for the Toffees. Since Christmas however, Everton fans have been able to see Rooney back to his best and he has rediscovered his goalscoring touch in recent weeks. Four goals in his last five Premiership appearances have led him to be Everton's second leading scorer this season and have helped him become the highest ranked Everton player in the Opta Index for March.

Rooney grabbed two of Everton's three goals during the course of the month, with vital strikes against Portsmouth and Leicester, to help keep David Moyes' men at arms length from trouble at the foot of the table. "His play is getting better and we are delighted with that," said Moyes following Rooney's strike at the Walkers Stadium."

Only Birmingham's Mikael Forssell managed more attempts on goal during the past month than Rooney with the Everton man having 16 efforts in the three games he played in March. His performance last Saturday against Middlesbrough drew praise from England team mate Gareth Southgate who had been handed the task of marking him that afternoon: "He is an outstanding talent, and he looked dangerous at times. We knew we had to be at our best to deal with him.

"He is strong, he is prepared to shoot from anywhere and he is not afraid to miss. He takes up positions that make defenders think whether they really want to go in and mark him. He is an outstanding talent."

Behind Rooney in the rankings for March was Alan Stubbs. The former Celtic man has been influential in a back-line, which has conceded just twice during the month. Stubbs made a total of 36 clearances during the three games - more than any other Everton player, and the fifth highest total for any Premiership player in this past month.

The third highest ranked Everton player for the month was 'keeper Nigel Martyn. Only three Premiership keepers conceded fewer goals than the Everton man during the month, while he saved an average of 82% of the shots that came his way.

Wayne Rooney OPTA Premier League Stats 03-04 (March)
Minutes played	268
Goal Attempts
Goals	2
Shots On Target	5
Shots Off Target	11
Blocked Shots	n/a
Passing
Goal Assists	1
Total Passes	57
Pass completion %	60%
Defending
Tackles Made	n/a
Tackles Won %	n/a
Crosses	n/a
Clearances	n/a
Interceptions	n/a
Discipline
Fouls	5
Offsides	n/a
Yellow cards	1
Red cards	0