Wayne Rooney Discussed by Jose Mourinho Ahead of Liverpool vs. Manchester United

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has criticised the scrutiny of captain Wayne Rooney’s form in the media ahead of his side’s massive clash with Liverpool.

The Portuguese coach has dropped the England international from the starting XI in recent weeks and there are big doubts as to whether he’ll feature at Anfield on Monday. Mourinho feels as though Rooney’s difficult spell hasn’t been helped by the forensic examination of his efforts in the press.

“I think what you could hurt, you did already,” said Mourinho to the press of his skipper, per Chris Wheeler of the Daily Mail. “I don't think you can do more. So I think in this moment it is time for him to recover from what was done to him and the best place for him to do that is feeling like he feels at home here.”

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As well as being pulled out of the firing line for United, England interim manager Gareth Southgate also started Rooney on the bench for the Three Lions’ showdown with Slovenia. For a player previously deemed indispensable for club and country, it’s been quite a fall from grace.

Indeed, typically the clash with Liverpool is one that would bring the best from Rooney, who has thrived in big matches against major rivals in the past. Although, according to Wheeler, Mourinho is ready to leave the 30-year-old on the bench again at Anfield.

Even so, the man in the opposite dugout to Mourinho on Monday, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, still rates Rooney highly, per James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo:

The focus on the forward doesn’t come as a great surprise. After all, since bursting on to the scene as a 16-year-old at Everton, Rooney has been an ever-present force in English football and has represented the national team with distinction. Because of his profile—captain of England and the country’s biggest club in United—he demands so much attention.

So this potential decline will take up column inches, as will analysis into why it’s happening, is it permanent and whether there’s any way back for Rooney. Mourinho, having worked in English football for a long time, would have been aware of that fact.

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Rooney is a big point of discussion for all generations of supporter, too. Indeed, as we can see here courtesy of Bleacher Report UK, in a galaxy of Premier League stars, Rooney remains one of the most popular:

Wherever he’s been in his managerial career, Mourinho has sought to build sides that operate with purpose, power and intensity off the ball. For the time being, Rooney isn’t the right kind of fit for that particular blueprint and, subsequently, taking him out of the side would have been a straightforward decision for the manager.

It’s a move that’ll only heighten the focus on Rooney in the short term; every substitute appearance, touch and pass will be analysed in extra detail. But with the Red Devils already a little off the pace in the race for the title, Mourinho needs to make ruthless decisions for the sake of the side.