The intensity of the Merseyside derby is something Wayne Rooney is all too familiar with, both on and off the pitch. It’s a rivalry that divides families across the city, including Rooney’s, and once led him to lock his wife out of their house.

David Moyes, the manager who gave Rooney his Premier League debut in 2002, takes his Everton side to Anfield on Saturday afternoon as the Blues look to spoil Liverpool‘s perfect start to the season.

The Scot is still looking for his first win at Liverpool’s fortress, with this his 23rd visit to the stadium, and Rooney will most likely be cheering him and his side on from afar.

The 39-year-old is a boyhood Evertonian and spent two stints at the club – either side of his 13-year affiliation with Manchester United – featuring seven times against the Reds while at the Toffees.

Rooney comes from a family of Blues; however, his wife Coleen’s love lies with their bitter rivals, the Premier League champions. The difference in allegiance has certainly caused problems for the married couple over the years.

Back when Liverpool won their 19th top-flight title under Jurgen Klopp in 2020, Coleen opted to celebrate by hanging Liverpool flags around the family home. This didn’t go down well with the former Everton and United forward.

Wayne Rooney has admitted he once locked Coleen (right) out of the house due to here allegiance to Liverpool

Rooney, 39, played in seven Merseyside derbies for Everton against Liverpool during two stints at the club

Wayne comes from a family of Evertonians while Coleen’s side of the family are all Reds

Speaking on his podcast The Wayne Rooney Show, Rooney said: ‘When Liverpool won the Premier League a few years ago, I came home, I was [a player] at Derby at the time, and Coleen’s got Liverpool flags up outside the house.

‘It was our old house, so outside the front door there’s a little balcony thing and the flag was outside the window there, so I told her to go and get it down.

‘She went up and you had to actually climb out the window to get it down, so she went up and I locked her out.’

Rooney later revealed that he let Coleen back into the house after ‘not too long’, but the debacle hasn’t stopped her immediate family from doing the same thing five years on, after Arne Slot’s side claimed a record-equalling 20th title.

‘Like now, even, Coleen’s mum and dad, they’ve got champion flags up at the house,’ he added.

The reigning champions have, on paper, had the perfect start to their title defence, winning all four of their Premier League matches thus far.

They will be looking to make it five from five when they face their bitter rivals at lunchtime on Saturday, and will be confident given they have won the last four meetings between the two sides at Anfield. In fact, they have only lost one home game against the Toffees in the last 25 years.

Rooney was never part of a winning side in the Merseyside derby, at Anfield or Goodison Park, and he has now admitted that the build-up to the big game used to make him ‘feel sick’ when involved in the rivalry as a player.

Coleen hung up Liverpool flags around the Rooney household when they won their 19th league title in 2019

Rooney said that he didn’t leave wife Coleen locked out on their balcony for long

‘I hated it. We didn’t win many, so when you do win them, you’ve got to make sure you enjoy it,’ he said. ‘The build-up to the game, the whole week was horrible.’

‘Being around the training ground and, as an Evertonian, getting ready and preparing for the game and all the staff around the training ground who are Evertonians. You feel sick because if you lose the game Liverpool rub it in your face.

‘When I went back the second time to Everton, I had to make sure I had all the TVs turned off and there was nothing on the TVs about the game, the build-up to the game, just to try and forget about it that week. Go into the game not worrying too much about it.

‘It’s a massive game, and if you win there’s no better feeling.’