How Wayne Rooney Has Exceeded Expectations as Manchester United Captain

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Wayne Rooney's appointment as Manchester United captain last August was not a universally lauded move. Fan podcasts, blogs and social media painted a picture of a divided supporter base.

On one hand, there were those who argued that Rooney was the only reasonable choice. After all, he was more or less a guaranteed starter, is vocal on the pitch, has had a long United career and a status in the game that commands respect from his fellow pros.

On the other hand, there were those who argued that Rooney's relationship with the fans had been so soured by his two attempts to leave Old Trafford that the captaincy left a bitter taste.

Furthermore, the sense that his performances were not what they had once been—particularly during his poor 2012/13 season—made him an uncomfortable choice, given the captaincy probably meant an "undroppable" role within the side.

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Michael Regan/Getty Images

With Juan Mata providing genuine competition in the No. 10 role and Robin van Persie (and latterly Radamel Falcao) probably ahead of him at No. 9, making him captain seemed to limit Louis van Gaal's options when trying to find his best XI from a top-heavy squad.

However, it was a decision that made political sense. After all, Rooney's new four-year contract last February meant he was likely to stay at the club for some time. Van Persie had been Van Gaal's international captain, so the manager did not need to prove how much he valued his compatriot.

It is easy to imagine Rooney needing assurance from Van Gaal given how volatile his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson had become.

Rooney's captaincy suffered a bumpy start. Van Gaal, following an ambivalent performance from Rooney in a pre-season friendly against Valencia, had a potent message for his new skipper, per Simon Stone of BBC Sport: "I think he wanted to show more than the upmost best to the public that he is Wayne Rooney, the new captain. Then I said to him: 'Let it fly, let it fly.' It is more important how you perform and not the captaincy."

There were two key incidents early in his captaincy that provided fuel for those who were concerned about his appointment. The first was against Leicester City when, having given the ball away himself, he berated Tyler Blackett for an error that led to Leicester's equaliser. The young defender looked shaken, and United conceded two further goals, losing the game.

Of course, there is a reasonable argument to be made that Blackett should not have let Rooney's opprobrium affect him, and indeed it is speculation to suggest that it did. But, nonetheless, seeing the newly appointed captain take such an unsubtle approach with a youngster caused concern.

The second was Rooney's dismissal for a poorly executed professional foul against West Ham United. Coming at a crucial time in the game, it was an egregious error for a captain to commit.

However, since his return from suspension, Rooney has been in superb form, scoring three times and adding an assist for United, and scoring twice in two games for England.

His rate of goalscoring, though, has rarely been a problem. As Ferguson said in his upcoming interview with BT Sport (h/t Daily Mirror), "Rooney is back flying and Rooney will always get you a goal and that’s always an advantage when a team has got a goal scorer in a team." 

What has been most noticeable about Rooney's recent run of games is his overall contribution and the calm head he has kept. During United's recent winning run, Rooney has consistently been one of United's best players, a statistical indication that can be found in his average WhoScored.com rating of 7.67 for that period.

He has played a number of roles in that time, including in midfield, where he was outstanding against Liverpool and reasonably effective against Aston Villa.

He has led by example, encouraged and cajoled his teammates rather than berate them, and looked relaxed and happy on the pitch. He has begun to "let it fly," and it is working. Whether it continues remains to be seen—after all, this is hardly Rooney's first purple patch—but for now, Van Gaal's decision to award him the captaincy has been amply rewarded.