'Nice to see': Wayne Rooney explains why he actually enjoyed Hugo Ekitike's controversial red card celebration

Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version or go back to LFC Live.net.

Surprisingly, though, some has now arrived from an unlikely source, in Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney.

Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

Rooney was a player whom you could perhaps see picking up a sending off such as this during his career.

The Scouser was someone who played with that fire in his belly, and was occasionally liable to do something silly on the pitch.

MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES

And maybe that is why Rooney has come out to try and defend Ekitike, telling The Wayne Rooney Show that he was pleased to see that scoring meant so much to the Liverpool man.

READ MORE: ‘Incredible’ player is still an option for Arne Slot more than four years after last Liverpool appearance

“Do you not think that’s refreshing, though?” said the 39-year-old.

“You’ve got a player who’s just come in to Liverpool, playing really well, scoring goals, he’s showing that passion and emotion of scoring a late goal in the League Cup.

“But what we’ve seen over recent years with VAR and players scoring goals and waiting to celebrate and stuff, I think it’s refreshing to see someone celebrating a goal.

“He’s been caught up in the emotion of scoring a goal and he’ll probably regret it now, but I think it’s nice to see that raw emotion when someone scores a goal.”

While it is nice to hear someone so high profile add a bit of nuance to the debate over Ekitike’s red card, Rooney does also admit that the France international has done something rather silly.

Suggesting that Ekitike will be ‘devastated’ after realising what he’s done, Rooney also says he has handed the advantage to Alexander Isak in the Liverpool striker stakes.

“You have the emotion of football and scoring goals and sometimes you do get carried away.

He’s given Isak a chance to come in and try and take his place.

At the minute he’s scoring goals, he’s in a good place, I’m sure he’ll be devastated.”

It remains to be seen whether Isak gets the chance to capitalise on Ekitike’s absence with a start at Crystal Palace on Saturday.