Why Manchester United's Wayne Rooney Is EPL's Best Player

Wayne Rooney's career is second to none among English Premier League players, and at 26 years old, he is still at the top of his game.

He has been a stalwart in United's lineup since coming to the club as an 18-year-old. His dogged determination and relentless hustle have made him a fan favorite at Old Trafford while his goal-scoring prowess has made him an all-time great. He has scored 185 goals in his career and 168 for United, which ties him for sixth on the club's all-time scoring list. 

When attempting to crown the best all-around player in a given league, only offensive-minded players are eligible for the title. Great defenders like John Terry and Nemanja Vidić are fantastic at what they do, but have one-dimensional skill sets. Professional footballers agree, and nine out the last 10 athletes to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year have been midfielders or strikers.

A player like Rooney, who is a deadly scoring threat and can also track back to distribute and defend, has the necessary qualities to be deemed England's best player at the club level. 

The attacker arrived at Old Trafford in 2004 on a £25.6 million transfer fee from Everton. Rooney was widely regarded as a rising star while with the Toffees and made history on October 19, 2002 when he became the EPL's youngest goal-scorer in dramatic fashion. In stoppage time against Arsenal, he fired a lethal shot into the upper-left corner and ended the Gunners' 30-game unbeaten streak.

As a Red Devil, Rooney has won the Premiership four times and reached the Champions League final three times, winning once. 

While other footballers may be having better current campaigns, no player in England who is still considered one of the top-tier talents in the league can equal Rooney's illustrious past.

Stars that can boast the same level of sustained success as Rooney are all into their 30s and past their primes. 

In terms of consistency, Frank Lampard is the only player with multiple EPL championships who compares to Rooney. The United striker has scored at least 10 times in every one of his eight seasons in Manchester and Lampard is the only EPL player to accomplish the same feat in the same period of time. Also in that stretch, both players have had four 20-goal seasons.

While Lampard's résumé is comparable to Rooney's, the Chelsea midfielder has one fewer league title and no European titles. In addition, Lampard is 33 years old and far less likely to add more trophies to his collection than Rooney.

Players with similar levels of team success to Rooney must have played for either Chelsea or United, as those are the only two clubs who have won the Premiership since the 2004-05 season.

During his career as a Red Devil, Rooney has been paired with players like Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo, who were once considered among the best in England. However, all other players of this caliber have left the club and no one on the current United roster is as highly regarded as Rooney.

The only Chelsea player besides Lampard who has been at the foundation of the club's success in recent years is Didier Drogba. The Ivorian arrived at Stamford Bridge in the same year that Rooney moved to United, but has not been nearly as consistent. Drogba has three 20-goal seasons, but scored only eight times in 2007-08 league games. In addition, he is currently having a dreadful campaign with just three Premiership goals, compared to Rooney's 17. 

Steven Gerrard and Robin van Persie are two other veterans with the skill and flair to be in contention for EPL supremacy. However, both have been marred by injuries and a lack of titles during their career. Due to the time both have spent on the sidelines, Arsenal and Liverpool have been kept out of the league's top spot for a long time.

Out of the players mentioned, only Van Persie and Rooney are still considered to be at the peak of their abilities. The two are England's current leading goal-scorers and join players like David Silva, Sergio Agüero and Gareth Bale as the top talents in the game.

Agüero is in his first season with Manchester City while Silva is in his second. Both have had tremendous starts to their careers in Britain, but have not had the opportunity to prove that they can sustain their current level of play the way Rooney has.

The same is true of Bale, who has been a delight at Tottenham since being moved from outside back to winger. Despite flashes of brilliance, the Welshman has missed significant time due to injury in his short career, raising concerns over his ability to provide the same level of steady production that Rooney has given United.

Rooney has been a rock for the Red Devils; his presence, more than any other player at the club in the last eight years, has kept the team competing for trophies.

None of the league's younger stars have proven that they have the discipline necessary to be as reliable for their respective clubs. 

Furthermore, none of the players in the EPL's old guard can equal Rooney's current form.

Lastly, none of the players in the conversation for the Premiership's best player have amassed the amount of trophies that Rooney has. For all these reasons, Wayne Rooney is the best player in England.