EVERTON must match Wayne Rooney's ambitions or lose him, warns a player who himself left Merseyside in the pursuit of glory.
Steve McManaman was a Liverpool player for almost a decade, winning FA Cup and League Cup winner's medals in 1992 and 1995. But Championship and European honours eluded him until he joined Real Madrid in 1999.
A boyhood Blue himself, McManaman warned: "His career will be dictated by how well or how bad Everton do. It's as simple as that.
"If Everton reach the heights he should be reaching I think he'll stay there, but if Everton are mid-table and he's this superstar playing for a mid-table team, in the end he'll have to move on, it's just the way of life."
McManaman gives his verdict in tonight's documentary Wayne's World, screened on Sky One at 10pm.
He added: "He's only 17. I think for the next four to seven years, there's not a problem. He goes on learning and training at Everton and playing in the Premiership and he'll become a bigger and better player than he is now.
"He gives as good as he gets. He's not this shy, timid l ittle centre-forward who comes across big centre halves and is scared.
"I haven't seem anyone like him in that similar type of frame, at that age, in a long while."
Rooney is set to start for England for the second time in tonight's European Championship qualifier against Slovakia, watched by club boss David Moyes.
The Blues' manager is still monitoring the transfer market closely, but his interest in Celtic midfielder Colin Healy has cooled dramatically.
Sunderland and Aston Villa are now favourites to sign the free agent, with Leeds United also expressing interest.
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