Shaun Rooney on his St Mirren exit and Fleetwood career revival after assault charge

Rooney discusses his St Mirren departure after assault charges and his career revival at Fleetwood, where he now faces Arsenal in the Carabao Cup.

Shaun Rooney has opened up about leaving St Mirren two years ago following a Glasgow city centre incident that led to assault and breach of peace charges. The full-back was eventually acquitted on both counts 12 months later but says the case dragged on publicly. Despite the uncertainty, Rooney remained confident in his innocence and received a call from former club Fleetwood within weeks of his departure.

Rooney joined Fleetwood on a deal that saw him wait until January to arrive, and he has since re-established himself at the club. He praised Fleetwood's facilities and family-friendly environment, noting he scored nine goals during his first spell under Scott Brown. While he acknowledged the stigma may follow him in Scotland, Rooney hasn't ruled out a Premiership return later in his career.

The 28-year-old is now preparing for what he describes as the biggest game of his career: a Carabao Cup last-16 tie at home to Arsenal on Tuesday. Fleetwood knocked out Chesterfield, Shrewsbury and Championship side Sheffield United to earn the draw, and Rooney is relishing the opportunity to face Premier League and Champions League runners-up Arsenal at Highbury.