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Europa League Qualifying | Third Qualifying Round
Jul 27, 2017 at 8.05pm UK
 

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Baines (65')
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Wayne Rooney: 'Everton must share goalscoring mantle'

Everton forward Wayne Rooney challenges his side to share the goalscoring mantle this season following the summer departure of Romelu Lukaku.

Everton striker Wayne Rooney has challenged his teammates to share the goalscoring mantle following the summer departure of Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku scored 25 times in the Premier League alone for the Toffees last season, with Ross Barkley's tally of six goals the next highest figure at the club.

Everton have invested heavily in their squad following Lukaku's move to Manchester United, including bringing in Rooney and Sandro Ramirez, but they only scraped a 1-0 win over MFK Ruzomberok in their Europa League qualifier on Thursday thanks to a deflected Leighton Baines strike.

Rooney wants to see the whole team chip in in the final third, though, and admits that his side will need to markedly improve before the start of the new Premier League season.

"I felt comfortable [against Ruzemberok]. I am ready to go. It is a new challenge for me and I want to help us be more successful. Hopefully I can help contribute to the team. It would be great if we could get a few of us scoring the goals this season, but we will wait and see how that pans out and just keep working hard," he told the club's official website.

"We will have to see how the start of the season goes and we will have to kick on from there. The most important thing is making sure we are right for the start of the season, getting pre-season under our belts. We are only a few weeks into pre-season, so we are still preparing.

"It was a game where we had to get a result and we have got a good win to take to their place next week. We are pleased with that but, of course, there are things we can do a lot better."

Rooney himself managed just five league goals in his final season at Manchester United - the lowest tally of his career.

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Manchester United's former Everton forward Wayne Rooney warms up ahead of the Duncan Ferguson Testimonal pre-season friendly football match between Everton and Villarreal at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north west England on August 2, 2015
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