Barrow have made a dramatic late move in the transfer window to re-sign crowd favourite John Rooney.
The 31-year-old midfielder has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal after Barrow reached agreement with Stockport County for an undisclosed fee.
Rooney had played a key role in The Bluebirds’ promotion from the National League in 2019/20, serving as captain and contributing 20 goals from midfield.
He did not play in League Two for Barrow as Stockport paid a fee to take him to Edgeley Park in the summer and since then he has scored 23 goals in 62 games.
When Stockport indicated they were open to offers for Rooney the Barrow board took a lead from manager Mark Cooper and moved to compete the deal ahead of tonight’s deadline.
A delighted Cooper said: “When I got told he was available I just felt like we had to try and get it done.
“I spoke to John, and he was desperate to come back so hopefully he can come in and be involved on Tuesday.
“I know how highly thought of he was by the fans here during his first spell and the players who played with him also speak very highly of the impact he had.
“I have seen him play myself this season and he strikes me as someone who is always creating and a constant threat. We need to score more goals and I think he can help us.
“He’s a winner as well. If people are not doing their jobs, not training to the level needed or not behaving properly then he will tell them – and we haven’t got enough of that.
“He can score goals out of nothing, hit ridiculous passes to create and he wants to run about, he wants to win and he’s a leader, so they’re all big ingredients for a midfield player.”
Having initially emerged from Everton’s Academy where he was on the books from just six years old, Rooney took his first steps into senior football at Macclesfield Town where he made 41 appearances.
The Liverpool-born star then spent time in America playing the MLS for New York Red Bulls and Orlando City before clinching a return to England in 2012 to sign for Barnsley.
After a short spell with Bury, a loan to Chester turned permanent in 2014 and he went on to make over 100 appearances there before going on to play for Wrexham and Guiseley.
It was in 2018 when he first appeared in a Barrow shirt, spending two seasons in Cumbria during which he made 96 appearances in total and scored 30 goals.
He is the younger brother of the Derby County manager Wayne Rooney.
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