Wayne Rooney Reportedly Set to Be Dropped for Manchester United vs. Leicester

Jose Mourinho is reportedly preparing to drop Wayne Rooney for Manchester United's home match with Leicester City on Saturday. 

That's according to an exclusive from the Sun's Neil Ashton, who reported the United captain's woeful display against Watford has prompted the manager to leave him out of the starting lineup.

Per Ashton, 99 per cent of Red Devils supporters who responded to a poll conducted by fanzine Red Issue Sanctuary wanted Rooney to be dropped.

Indeed, for many, news of Rooney being dropped will come as a welcome relief—despite only being 30, the England international's decline has been clear to see for some time.

Football writer Liam Canning falls in that camp, as does ESPN's Alex Shaw, who has criticised Mourinho's reluctance to drop the forward thus far:

As Squawka Football demonstrated, his effort against the Hornets on Sunday was seriously lacklustre:

Such a performance has become far too common for Rooney in recent years, and the former Everton man is almost unrecognisable from his youth.

He appears to lack confidence in his own finishing and has steadily been shooting less and less each year, per Squawka, while he rarely runs at or successfully dribbles beyond players either.

Rooney's trademark mobility and endurance seem to have dissipated, too—where once he was capable of covering every blade of grass at considerable speed, he now struggles to get around the pitch and seems to have lost much of his pace.

However, despite his seemingly obvious struggles and continued run of poor form, few pundits believe he should be dropped, as broadcaster Jacqui Oatley noted:

Indeed, on BBC's Match of the Day 2 on Sunday, former England international Trevor Sinclair suggested Rooney should be moved into a holding-midfield role:

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News was baffled by the suggestion:

Much of the debate surrounding Rooney in recent years has focused on where his best position is—as a striker, a No. 10 or even in central midfield.

In truth, the discussion should now centre on whether he should be playing at all. 

If Mourinho drops him, he will be afforded more flexibility with his team selection and be able to mould the team around its new star, Paul Pogba.

The move should also send a message to Rooney, one that could drive him to produce a higher calibre of performance when he gets back on the pitch.