Everton said striker Rooney had joined for an undisclosed fee, returning to the club where he began his professional career, scoring 17 goals in 77 games before leaving for Old Trafford in 2004.

"Wayne has shown me that ambition that we need and that winning mentality – he knows how to win titles and I’m really happy he’s decided to come home," said Everton manager Ronald Koeman.

"He loves Everton and he was desperate to come back," added the Dutchman. "He is still only 31 and I don’t have any doubts about his qualities. It’s fantastic he’s here."

In 13 years in Manchester, Rooney became United's all-time leading scorer, ahead of Sir Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, George Best and Ryan Giggs, but it quickly became clear that he didn't feature in new manager Jose Mourinho's plans. 

Mourinho said: "It is never easy to see a great player playing less football than he would like and I could not stand in his way when he asked to go back to Everton.

"His experience, focus and determination will be missed and I wish him well for the future."

With Rooney gone, United look set to sign Everton's Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku for a fee of around 85 million euros to bolster their forward line for their latest assault on the Premier League and Champions League titles.

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