Louis Van Gaal Comments Leave No Doubt That Wayne Rooney Needs Work to Impress
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal was officially unveiled in a press conference on Thursday afternoon, where the British game's media got their first chance to ask the Dutch coach questions regarding the Premier League side, rather than the World Cup focus of the past month.
While Van Gaal fielded a range of topics, one which came up and caused some intrigue was a question on Wayne Rooney.
From the answer, the tone and the comparison to other players, it is fair to say that Rooney needs to show Van Gaal he can significantly contribute to the team this season to be in favour, and that the manager won't be looking to the No. 10 as a guaranteed starter simply because of his reputation in his home country.
Experienced Rooney?
The question aimed at Van Gaal was: As an experienced member of the United side, should Wayne Rooney be one of the faces the new boss looks to to guide the squad after a number of more experienced players had departed the scene of late?
Van Gaal barely acknowledged that Rooney's was indeed an older head, before moving on to what he considered more worthwhile than age-based experience: composure in match situations, ability to play the game the way he wanted and handling the pressures of the team competing at the top. He used former Ajax youngster Clarence Seedorf as an example, able to play at 16 years of age "better than a 30-year-old."
"Van Gaal's reluctance to praise/discuss Rooney was telling.
— Christopher Atkins (@ChrisAtkins_) July 17, 2014"
Michael Carrick's injury, as an experienced player, clearly brought Van Gaal more worries than whether Rooney would or wouldn't be able to lead the rest of the team.
"BREAKING: Michael Carrick has had surgery this morning on his left ankle ligaments and will be out for 10-12 weeks. #mufc
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 17, 2014"
Truth of Youth
United have made a few alterations to their attacking side of the team over the past couple of seasons, with new players such as James Wilson and Tom Lawrence featuring at the end of last season too.
The arrivals of Ander Herrera and Juan Mata give United more mid-20s midfield options, while Adnan Januzaj made himself a regular last season, aged just 19.
Eyes will naturally turn to Van Gaal's Netherlands side, which featured a number of youngsters; Stefan de Vrij, Bruno Martins Indi, Daley Blind, Jordy Clasie and Daryl Janmaat are all aged 22 to 25, though further forward he relied on the world-class talents of Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie in attack.
Van Persie, for his part, presents another problem for Rooney.
Where Might Rooney Fit?
Van Gaal continually alluded to not knowing his players well enough yet during the press conference, but of course he is more than familiar with United's No. 20 striker—his captain at the 2014 World Cup.
"Guess van Gaal wants van Persie as new captain after Vidic. But he will wisely use the time to see how much "harm" NOT naming Rooney will do
— Jan Aage Fjortoft (@JanAageFjortoft) July 17, 2014"
There would be few people who would bet against the Dutch international leading the line as United's main striker in 2014-15, leaving Rooney with three possible outcomes: a withdrawn role, likely in central midfield rather than the No.10 position if Van Gaal opts for a 4-3-3; a wide attacking role, akin to that which caused so much chatter for England during the World Cup—or no starting position at all.
It's completely possible that United could go with a straight two-up-top approach, but that presents further problems in midfield, particularly with Carrick out for so long.
Rooney, like the rest of the Manchester United players, now has preseason and the beginning of the campaign to show Van Gaal that he is worthy of a key place in the side.
Unlike the rest of his team-mates, though, he is facing an uphill battle from the start, simply because of the preexisting relationship between manager and striker, Van Gaal and Van Persie. And nothing the new manager said on his introduction to the press made it seem as though it will get any easier for Rooney.
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