Paul Parker: Why I fear Wayne Rooney could be making a big mistake if he rejoins Everton

They say you should never go back, and I sincerely hope that if reports of his return to Everton from Manchester United this morning are correct, Wayne Rooney hasn't made a big mistake.

Everton fans think a lot of Rooney after what he achieved at the club following his stunning emergence back in 2002, but put sentiment aside for one moment and there will be a lot of Evertonians who look at their impressive signings this summer, and the team being constructed by Ronald Koeman, and think: how is Rooney going to make us better?

The last we saw of Rooney as an Everton player, he was a fresh-faced 18-year-old setting off for Euro 2004, the tournament which made him a global star. No one is expecting the same player to return after 13 seasons at United, but I think there is a danger he could sully those memories at Goodison Park if the decline we saw in his final years at United is not halted.

That's not to say it will definitely be a bad move if it does go through. I didn't want to see Rooney go to America or China - I wanted to see him go to another English club and try and reinvent himself, like Cristiano Ronaldo has done.

It's not easy to leave Manchester United and maintain your level. The step-down is hard for some players. But Rooney could look to someone like Mark Hughes as inspiration. Sparky left United in 1995 at the age of 31 - the same age Rooney is now - and went on to play for Chelsea, Southampton and Everton. He didn't score goals like he used to but the fans loved him. He had that fire in his belly; he never lost it. If the ball was there and his grandma was in front of it, he'd push her out of the way. I hope Wayne can get his edge back and prolong his career as Sparky did. He needs to get his petulance and spikiness back.

I hope it's a move which allows Rooney to rediscover himself and prove all his critics wrong. I want to think a return to his boyhood club is the right platform for that, but the team Koeman is building doesn't really need a big-name signing to take them onto another level. Their impressive recruitment so far this summer has already done that.

Look at the progressive, exciting signings they have made: £30m for Jordan Pickford and Michael Keane, bringing in Ajax captain Davy Klaassen for £26m, signing Sandro Ramirez from Malaga. If Everton do go and sign Olivier Giroud as well it would be a fantastic coup which says everything about their ambition. It will be a big step forward in terms of the quality of their players.

Rooney doesn’t really fit the same mould. And it’s not just a question of profile or potential. It’s a question of style too.

You saw with Giroud’s performances at Arsenal that you need energy around him. You have to play at a high tempo. We’ve seen for a few years now that a fast tempo isn't really part of Rooney’s game any more. He is very slow when playing as a No. 10. When he is in midfield it's 40- 50-yard passes and it doesn't really work in today's football. No one plays in that fashion any more. It's all about quick feet and high energy.

The modern game is all about players like Ross Barkley and Tom Davies, who are much better options than Rooney when attacking from midfield positions; Klaassen too. Giroud would expect to be the lead striker so it is a bit of a mystery where Everton expect to use him. Unless someone can tell me a good reason why Koeman is signing Rooney, it doesn't make sense from a playing perspective to me at all.

Instead it seems a signing which is based more on emotion than logic or team-building. But sentiment doesn't work in football - not for the long term anyway. It ends up blowing up in your face. If it is for that reason then Everton have made their first mistake of their summer.

As much as Everton fans love Rooney, they could turn on him as they are ready for their team to go forward. They have a solid manager, who is bringing in hungry, talented players. They have some exciting young talents and everything is in place to progress as a club. There is a danger Rooney could hold them back with the impact he has on a team's playing style.

Koeman needs to work out how best to use him, but Roy Hodgson, Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal have all struggled badly with that task in recent years. This could prove to be a transfer with many complications - even if it is a great story.