IT SEEMED a fitting tribute to their new footballing hero.

There was only one obvious name for the Whelan family's new pet Labrador after they watched Everton wonderkid Wayne Rooney become the country's youngest Premiership goalscorer.

But two years on and the blue-nosed family from West Totton are seeing red after the teenage striker turned his back on his beloved club to join arch-rivals Manchester United.

Now Sean, 39, wife Clare, 38, and their children Victoria, 12, and Alex, 9, have a major dilemma on their hands - what to do about their two-year-old pup's name.

In between answering more than 20 phone calls from mocking Saints fans, the season ticket-holding family, who travel the country to watch Everton play almost every week, have been trying to think of a way of saving face.

Sean said: "There's no way we'd give him up - we all love him. It's a question of what we could rename him and we've thought about Clooney - which my wife obviously loves - or even Loony.

"We're also thinking of buying lots of Mickey Rooney films and telling everyone he's named after the actor, not the footballer!"

The family of four had bought and named little Rooney just days after watching Wayne, then 16, step out on to the Goodison Park turf and fire home a winning goal against Arsenal.

"That was on the Saturday and we picked up the puppy on the Tuesday. It was the obvious name for him, even though nobody had really heard of Wayne then," said Sean.

All four members of the family have a blue passion. Alex even has his bedroom decorated wall-to-wall in his favourite team's badge and colour.

The affiliation with the Merseyside club is something that's been passed down through the generations - a tradition kept alive even though Sean moved to Southampton with his parents in the 1960s when Cunard and British American Tobacco arrived in the city from Liverpool.

As for all Evertonians, the news this week that 18-year-old Wayne had bid farewell to the club came as a blow.

But theteenager's departure won't be enough for the fans to turn their back on their team.

"It's like they say, Everton will always survive. Rooney will be back one day.

"It will never get bad enough to make us turn our attention to Saints!"