Wayne Rooney isn't looking back.
The D.C. United superstar and his family are settling into their new life in the Washington region and he has no interest in returning to England on an offseason loan, nor in returning to his country's national team setup, the striker told ESPN FC in an exclusive interview.
"I think I committed myself to D.C. And that's why I'm going to give everything to D.C.," said Rooney. "In the offseason I'll stay here for a lot of that time with my children in school. I'll go back during Christmas to see some family and friends. I'm committed to D.C. and I don't think it'd be right for me to fly back and forth to play on loan with another team."
His feelings are similar on the topic of his international career, which he ended as England's all-time leading scorer.
"I think [England] are doing fantastic," he said of the Three Lions, who reached the World Cup semifinals in Russia over the summer. "It was the right time for me to retire with the group of young players. It was the right time to let them come in and flourish in the team. I have no regrets over it."
The icon still revered around the world as "Wazza" has had a dramatic effect on his new club, pacing United's dramatic rise from bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to Audi 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs participants since his midsummer arrival at brand-new Audi Field with 12 goals and 7 assists in 19 league appearances.
And he's eager to push them a bit further up the table on Decision Day presented by AT&T in order to earn hosting rights for a Knockout Round playoff game.
"We could feel the playoffs were getting closer and we need to try to kick on," said Rooney. "We could finish fourth and could get a home tie in the first round of the playoffs, which could be a difference for us."
