Sunderland’s Xhaka ‘potentially signing of the season’ – Rooney

Xhaka made 297 appearances for Arsenal, winning the FA Cup twice.

But he was something of a pantomime villain – and at times much maligned – at Arsenal.

He was sent off five times for Arsenal and spent six weeks as captain in 2019, clashing with fans and being stripped of the captaincy.

But things went better under Mikel Arteta and he became an important player before leaving in 2023 for Leverkusen, where he helped them win their first Bundesliga title during his inaugural season.

Rooney added: “When he faced the situation with Arsenal, and when he disagreed with the fans, it showed his character by going and playing with Arsenal again.”

“Getting past that and then going and performing for Arsenal, and then at Leverkusen to be part of a team to beat Bayern Munich for the title for the first time in over 10 years, showed what a good player he is.

“Sunderland also have a very young squad. He will be almost a father figure and will help the manager hugely as well as being the middle man as captain.

“They made a lot of signings in the summer. He will be a big help for the coach and the players, for sure, using his experience.”