Manchester United: Is Wayne Rooney's Absence Positive for the Red Devils?

In his 10 seasons donning a Manchester United shirt, Wayne Rooney has scored at least 16 goals in each campaign. His tally of 219 goals registers third place in United's annals, 30 behind all-time leader Sir Bobby Charlton.

To speak joyfully about Rooney's absence from the Red Devils starting XI would be tantamount to blasphemy were Manchester United of old still in effect, but the days of Sir Alex Ferguson are becoming a distant memory at Old Trafford.

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Starting with David Moyes and now Louis van Gaal, United's ethic has changed. What once was predicated on bulwark defenders, steely midfielders and rambunctious wide men has been replaced with a more continental approach: Technical attacking midfielders, "No. 10s" and compounded by no real defence of which to speak—a far cry from the 1990s, 2000s and early 2010s.

Rooney serving his three-game ban (issued for a straight red card vs. West Ham United) looks the perfect opportunity for Van Gaal to make strides in changing the productive, yet seemingly archaic formulas associated with United.

This summer Manchester United went out of their way to acquire attacking talent: Angel Di Maria, Ander Herrera and Radamel Falcao were added to Rooney, Juan Mata and Robin van Persie, creating a virtual logjam in attack.

Van Gaal's original tactical arrangement of 3-5-2 was deemed untenable with United's present defensive situation, so the Dutch manager has changed to a more customary 4-4-2 diamond, which allows, at most, five attacking options. With Di Maria, Herrera, Falcao, Rooney, Mata and Van Persie—United have six.

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In a normal year United would need the sixth member (added with Adnan Januzaj, etc.) for rotational purposes, but with no Champions League and a disappointing performance in the League Cup, Van Gaal—barring injury—has little need to rotate until late December.

With the table now set, why is Rooney's ban a "perfect opportunity" for the United boss?

Simply put: Juan Mata is a better "No. 10" and an argument could be made, despite the Englishman's impressive goalscoring record, Falcao is a better "No. 9."

Were Rooney's name erased from the back of his shirt, the decision might have come sooner—as dropping one of England's best players and a Manchester United legend would not exactly endear one to a new fanbase—but Van Gaal now has no choice.

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Mata, during his time with Chelsea, was given Fernando Torres to work with and became arguably the best central attacking midfielder in England. Placed behind world-class strikers Van Persie and Falcao, United's next three fixtures are an audition for the Spanish maestro.

Since Van Persie's arrival, Rooney has retreated from his secondary striker role, forcing him into midfield duties. While certainly versatile, the Englishman is above all a forward, thus removing arguably your best "No. 10" in Mata to appease Rooney seems patently insane.

So where does this leave Rooney three games from now?

Assuming Mata plays well in his favoured position, United's manager will have a conundrum come Round 10.

The best case for United is Rooney replacing Van Persie. Now 31 years old, the Dutchman is nearing the end of his prime, but knowing the player better than most, Van Gaal is sure to give him every chance. The more likely scenario, regardless of performance, is Mata returning to the bench—not because it represents the best footballing decision, but because it appears the easiest one.

To answer our title question: "Is Wayne Rooney's Absence Positive for the Red Devils?"

In the short term: yes. United will likely receive better play from their central attacking midfielder, which should translate into goals and, most importantly, points.

In the long term: no. Should Mata play to his usual standard, Rooney's absence has the makings of creating strife with no other competitions to appease a massive roster of world-class individuals.

Having Everton, West Bromwich Albion and Chelsea to test his Rooney-less system, Van Gaal may just find his blessing in disguise will turn into a rather monstrous curse.

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