Wayne Rooney has admitted he urged his Everton team-mates to 'turn the TVs' off ahead of Liverpool games, amid fears the coverage would impact their build-up. The forward revealed he switched his approach to Merseyside derbies when returning to the club from Manchester United.
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Rooney made a heroic return to Goodison Park in 2017, having previously left Everton for United as a teenager. But while the Liverpool-born ace left for the States in the following summer, he was still able to part his wisdom on his Everton counterparts.
When asked about his approach to Merseyside derbies, the ex-England man told Sky Sports: "When I went back, as a young player you understand the game but around it, you are just going with the flow with the senior players. When I went back, I could feel a fear within players, staff, it was in everyone.
"You have got Sky Sports on and you are seeing interviews, old goals and stuff and in the end I was getting them to turn the TV’s off. We had to get them to turn the TVs off so the game wasn’t constantly on people’s minds and get them to relax a little bit more."
It appeared to have the desired effect, with Everton going unbeaten in both of their league meetings with the Reds that season. There was no such luck in the FA Cup though, with Jurgen Klopp's men edging the tie with a late Virgil Van Dijk goal.
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