Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane thinks Wayne Rooney should leave Old Trafford this summer so he can receive regular game-time during the tail-end of his career.

Rooney, 31, has featured sporadically under Jose Mourinho this season and has been heavily linked with a return to former club Everton. However on Wednesday (10 May) he admitted he would be happy to stay with the Red Devils if they could promise him regular football next season.

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The England and Manchester United captain's largely successful 13-year spell at the Theatre of Dreams seems destined to come to an end soon, and Keane – who played with the former Everton wonderkid when he first joined United in 2004 – thinks his presence could prove detrimental to Mourinho's side next season.

When asked if Rooney should leave Manchester United for pastures new, Keane told ITV: "Yeah, if he's not going to get the games. If Wayne is going to stay at United for the next year or two and play, what? 10, 15 games a season? It's no good to anybody."

"I think Wayne is the type of player who needs to be playing regularly to keep in shape and keep on top of his game. So if he's going to be a bit-part player at Manchester United, then forget about it, he's got to move on."

Wayne Rooney
Rooney is open to staying at Manchester United but is keen to play regularly. Getty

Rooney has started 12 games in the Premier League this season and has fallen behind the likes of Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the Manchester United pecking order.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has stated his desire to bring Rooney back to Goodison Park on a couple of occasions, while director of football Steve Walsh is also interested in luring the player back. A move to Merseyside may interest the boyhood Everton fan, but his immediate focus is on helping Manchester United qualify for the Europa League final with a win over Celta Vigo on Thursday evening.

Manchester United FC Premier League Everton FC Wayne Rooney