Questions over Wayne Rooney Won't Stop Until He Starts Performing Again
Wayne Rooney is something of a footballing paradox. While the Manchester United forward is in dramatic, undeniable decline—tipping over into his 30s last week—he has, this season, ratified his legend.
As England’s newly anointed top goalscorer—soon to be United’s, too—Rooney’s career makes for a compelling case study.
Not in Louis Van Gaal’s opinion, though. "I have to talk every week about Rooney, why?" the Dutchman exclaimed after Sunday’s derby draw, per Sky Sports. “You have your opinion—write it. I don't give any more answers about Wayne Rooney. I am sick of them.”
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Van Gaal might be tiring of questions over Rooney’s form, but United fans hold the sentiment against the player himself. Once the most explosive and enthralling talent English football could offer, he is now a pitiful imitation of his former self—not that the United coach has seemingly noticed.
Against Manchester City on Sunday, the former Everton striker failed to notch a single shot on goal, making scant impression on a fixture which has witnessed some of his best performances in years gone by. This wasn’t an isolated instance, either.
In last week’s Champions League draw with CSKA Moscow, Rooney made fewer touches of the ball than any other United player on the pitch, besides goalkeeper David De Gea.
And yet Rooney has started all but one of United’s Premier League fixtures this season and is, apparently, immovable from Van Gaal’s starting lineup. It doesn’t matter how badly the England international plays, he can still count on being handed a place in the team next time out. He is untouchable.
But why? Van Gaal is a harsh task-master and has cut players from his starting lineup for much less. What must Ander Herrera, Juan Mata, Memphis Depay and Daley Blind all make of Rooney’s form and his continued first-team status, given that all four have been dropped at one point or another this season, despite playing at a much higher level than their captain?
Perhaps Rooney has clung on to his place in the team by virtue of the armband strapped to his arm.
Van Gaal admitted last year that his skipper is measured by a different gauge, going some way to explaining why Rooney still hasn’t been dropped this season. "Only the captain has more privileges," the Dutchman said, as per Simon Rice of the Independent. "No other player has privileges.”
Such a stance poses further questions of Rooney and his purpose at United. The forward has never been a naturally vocal leader on the pitch, with Bastian Schweinsteiger settling in as the club’s conductor since arriving at Old Trafford in the summer.
As a leader, Rooney has always been one to exemplify by doing rather than saying—so if he is no longer doing, then he isn’t leading either. He’s not just futile as a striker and a football player, but also as a captain.
Positionally, Rooney has lost his way, too. If he was compensating for a slump in form by freeing up space for team-mates and holding his place in United’s formation, his spot in the lineup could be argued for, but he’s not doing that either.
Look at the way Rooney almost got in the way of Jesse Lingard as he broke the City offside trap before striking the ball off Joe Hart’s bar with a flicked volley. At times, Rooney plays like Bruce Willis in The Sixth Sense—he hasn’t been told he’s dead yet.
Rooney lacks the necessary cutting edge to play as a No. 9, the touch or creativity to be used as a No. 10 and is not mobile enough to be deployed in central midfield. The 30-year-old might be United captain, but he is without an obvious place in the club’s starting lineup. He is a player without a role of any kind.
So what next for Rooney? This season may well prove a defining one in the forward’s Manchester United career, edging closer to the club’s all-time goalscoring record. As things stand, he is only 13 goals short of Sir Bobby Charlton’s benchmark of 249, but at his current scoring ratio, it will take Rooney at least another two seasons to reach that target.
All the while, the 30-year-old is holding back the club he is supposed to front. Rooney is the face United—their captain and most renowned player—and yet he is their weakest link.
Surely it won’t be long before Van Gaal concedes his pride and makes the change that will benefit his team? It’s remarkable Rooney has lasted this long without being dropped.
It’s unsurprising that Van Gaal has grown weary of questions over his captain’s recent form, given the level of scrutiny applied this season, but only with better performances will such concerns fall by the wayside. Only then will Rooney counter the criticism currently coming his way.
However, should such an upturn fail to materialise, Van Gaal must make the call to bench his captain.
It would be for the best of the player too, who is in desperate need of a motivational spark—although it is somewhat surprising Rooney hasn’t been able to find that in the scrutiny being paid to him at the moment. Dropping the striker could relight the fire that once made him so special.
It’s entirely possible that Rooney’s decline is the result of burn-out. He might now be paying for breaking through at the age of just 16, counting the cost of playing so many seasons as a first-team member while so young.
Perhaps Ryan Giggs should take a break from mentoring Depay to offer a word of advice to Rooney on how to prolong a career in football.
Having turned 30 just last week, Rooney’s legacy has made for pertinent discussion.
When the forward retires, he will be remembered for the rip-roaring displays of angsty, moody brilliance earlier in his career. His goalscoring record for club and country will stand the test of time and paint a picture of a true legend—maybe even the greatest English football player of all-time.
It’s about time he started playing like it.
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