Wayne Rooney Must Follow Ryan Giggs' Lead to Preserve Manchester United Legacy
The passing of the England captaincy from Wayne Rooney to Jordan Henderson for Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier in Slovenia was as symbolic a moment as they come. If ever an emblematic signpost was needed to illustrate the demise of one the country’s greatest footballers, that was it.
Indeed, for both club and country, the age of Rooney is over, or at the very least in its final throes. The 30-year-old is a starter for neither England nor Manchester United, with both Gareth Southgate and Jose Mourinho forced into planting a player with no purpose, no position and increasingly no ability on the bench.
As England’s highest goalscorer and Manchester United’s soon-to-be-highest goalscorer, Rooney’s legacy is already secure, but what happens next will decide whether he is considered a true legend of the game. He might not be a star for club and country anymore, but it matters where he goes from here.
He must evaluate what he wants from the rest of his career, because at the current rate, he might not have too long left. After all, Rooney has been a first-team figure at Premier League level since he broke through at the age of just 16.
While it is somewhat surprising that at 30 years old he appears to be washed up, it must be factored in that he has been playing football at the highest level—with all the pressure and everything that comes with it—for 15 years. That takes its toll.
Rooney could quite easily take the lucrative option, deciding to preserve his earnings by making the move to the Chinese Super League. A Far East switch has already been mooted for the United striker, per David McDonnell of the Mirror, and could be the answer if he wishes to protect his pay packet.
Given what certain players, such as Graziano Pelle, have been lured to China with, Rooney could feasibly become the highest-paid player in the history of football should he move there.
However, if he wants to go down as a true legend of Manchester United, he must learn to accept his new role. He must look to Ryan Giggs for a precedent on how to become an effective squad player after years of being the headline act. The Welsh winger did exactly that in the latter years of his career, retiring as arguably the greatest legend Old Trafford has ever bid farewell to.
Giggs has had his say on Rooney’s demise. "I feel a little bit sorry for him, towards last season and for England in the summer he was played in that deeper role, then he was told he’s playing as a No. 9 or a No. 10 [by Mourinho], he’s probably a bit confused,” the former United assistant manager told ITV (h/t Tom Sheen of the Sun).
Indeed, it will be understandably difficult for Rooney to accept his new place for club and country having been a figurehead for both for so long. Having spent over a decade in the spotlight, stepping into the shadows won’t be easy—that’s something Giggs will sympathise with having done it himself.
But while Giggs wasn’t a first-team figure towards the end of his playing career, he was still an immensely important figure at Manchester United until the day he retired. He remained a player for the big games, with Sir Alex Ferguson using him as an experienced and composed influence in the centre of midfield rather than the fast and furious winger he made his name as. Rooney will find no finer example to follow.
United might not give him that chance, though. Rooney is on a top wage at the club, so the Old Trafford hierarchy might take the decision for him, deciding to cash in while they still can, simultaneously getting one of their highest earners off the books. The pieces have already lined up in preparation of his departure.
Perhaps most significantly, United no longer need the former Everton man as a marketing tool as they once did not so long ago. The switch in kit manufacturer from Nike to Adidas means Rooney, a Nike client, is unlikely to feature as much as the face of the Old Trafford club from now, especially with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba—both Adidas clients—now United players. The Red Devils captain doesn’t even have his marketability tethering him to the club.
It’s for this reason that Rooney must show his worth to the squad as a fringe player, just as Giggs did a number of years ago. He has to be valuable to Mourinho as an on-the-field talent because he is no longer a marketing giant; United don’t need him in that way anymore.
However, it’s possible that from the player’s perspective a change in scenery might also be beneficial.
Rooney has undoubtedly lost his verve in recent years, and while that is largely down to his declining fitness and sharpness as an athlete, it could also be attributable to a lack of direction for him on a personal level. What does he have left to achieve at Old Trafford having won everything in the game there?
The ultimate swallowing of pride would be if Rooney were to join another English club some way below the stature of United and his own individual reputation. Just because he is no longer good enough for Mourinho’s team doesn’t mean he can’t prove himself to be good enough for another Premier League team.
Of course, it’s hard to imagine Rooney stepping down a level in England. If he is to leave United it will surely be for another country and possibly another continent. That way he could escape the attention that follows him everywhere in the Premier League and as an England international. Stepping out of the spotlight might appeal to the striker.
However, if he wants to rescue a legacy that is increasingly under threat with every passing season at United, he must look to Giggs for a precedent to follow. Rooney might not be done at Old Trafford if he can change what he is to the club.
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