Where Will Wayne Rooney Fit into Jose Mourinho's Manchester United?

Jose Mourinho has already begun talking up Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney.

Speaking ahead of Rooney's testimonial against Everton, which has been arranged for 3 August, the Red Devils' new manager said, per Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports, "Wayne is and has been England's best player for over a decade." 

Whether or not the assertion that Rooney is still England's best player is correct, it is certainly fair to say he has been one of its most important during his career. But after Euro 2016 is done, and Rooney returns to Manchester, where exactly will he fit into Mourinho's side?

It could be argued the Rooney problem falls into that old footballing cliche of being a good problem to have. After all, on his day, he is still a remarkably effective player. In January, he took off on a hot streak, scoring seven goals and providing three assists in a run of nine games.

After an injury disruption, his end-of-season run in midfield was by-and-large a success, though it came with caveats.

For ex-manager Louis van Gaal, Rooney's underperformance became a serious unaddressed issue. He had backed himself into a corner with a selection policy that made it clear his captain would always play were he available.

Tim Ireland/Associated Press

In his second season in charge, Rooney was only left out of the starting XI when fully fit for one Premier League game—the 2-0 loss against Stoke City on Boxing Day 2015. This meant that for long stretches of his time in charge, Van Gaal was crowbarring an out-of-sorts player into his starting XI come what may.

It caused some pretty serious issues, not least of which was the lack of attacking effectiveness in the first half of last season. Of United's six 0-0 draws in 2015/16, Rooney started at No. 9 in three of them. He was also brought on to play there at half time against Middlesbrough, playing the second half and extra time.

He played at No. 10 in a fifth and was only absent for one.

There is objective data to draw upon—his lack of goals (eight Premier League goals being his worst return since arriving in 2004) and United's general attacking malaise—but the subjective experience of watching Rooney play centre-forward meant none of that even seemed necessary.

He was visibly slower than when he was at his most effective at centre-forward, and whether through Van Gaal's insistence on taking a touch before shooting or not, his predatory instincts seemed dulled. 

So midfield it was.

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Where should Rooney play next season?

— Paul (@UtdRantcast) June 9, 2016"

In a straw poll on Twitter, deep-lying midfield was picked as the position most would like to see him play for United next season. That was only the second-most popular option overall, though. Thirty six per cent of responders voted for that choice, but 39 per cent of the 1,857 people who voted would prefer to see Rooney moved on.

That might seem a little surprising initially, but it is an option that makes sense.

The possibility he will be a top-level centre-forward again seems pretty remote so, for the sake of argument, can be excluded.

Mourinho will almost certainly play with a recognised No. 10, and Rooney could fit in there—as 22 per cent of people who voted in the above poll suggested he should.

But in the seven games he started at No. 10 in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League last season, he made a total of just seven key passes. That's one chance created per game from what is supposed to be one of the attack's most creative positions.

In a poor Chelsea side, Oscar averaged 1.5 last season in the league and 2.7 in the Champions League. Mesut Ozil averaged 4.3 in the Premier League and 2 in Europe.

Perhaps this could all be put at the door of Van Gaal's stuffy conservatism, but it seems remarkably unlikely that, even under a new coach, Rooney will suddenly transform back into the kind of vibrant creative force he once was.

Which leaves the spot upon which United's departed Dutch coach eventually settled for his undroppable captain: central midfield. That makes sense—it really does.

But it makes sense not because it is a great option but because it is the least worst.

Is anyone truly convinced Rooney would produce performances equivalent to the kind of specialist central midfielder who could command the £250,000-per-week wages he does?

And even ignoring the economics of the situation, would any other team with hopes of competing as part of Europe's elite choose to go into next season with Rooney as a key component of their central midfield?

Paul Gilham/Getty Images

If Rooney were not already a United player, would Mourinho seriously consider bringing him in based on his performances over the past few seasons?

The mostly likely answer to all three of those questions is surely no.

Given's Rooney's contractual situation—there being three years left his deal—selling him would be a challenge. There has been a significant offer from China, as the player himself told Piers Morgan of the Mail on Sunday.

But for now, unless Mourinho is determined to be rid of him—which the early going does not suggest—Rooney will remain at United. 

On May 24, Greg Johnson of Squawka wrote a to-do list for Mourinho, and it included an item on Rooney, stating:

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Whether it’s in attack, in the hole or in midfield, United’s captain and his team mates need clarity over his position. Given the enormous contract he was offered during Moyes’ reign, he is effectively too expensive to sell and, in commercial terms at least, too valuable to let go.

However, given his wages, his role in the team cannot be fudged or forgotten about.

He lacks the legs to burst through the final third anymore, and struggles to find the delicacy required to tease the ball through tight spaces in front of the box, so a deeper-lying berth in midfield may be the way to go, perhaps as a more rudimentary version of the free role carved out for Cesc Fabregas in Mourinho’s second stint at Chelsea?

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Assuming Rooney stays, he absolutely cannot command an automatic starting berth if Mourinho wants to field his best side every game. There are some opponents—those who will press and harry the England captain as West Ham United did at the Boleyn Ground in May, for example—against whom he should sit out.

The situation is further complicated by the club's recent announcement Michael Carrick has signed a contract extension. Rooney and Carrick would make an fine midfield two against teams prepared to sit deep and attempt to soak up United's pressure.

They both have the capacity to find the kind of passes that create space. They would be vulnerable to pace on the counter-attack, certainly, but better that than their vulnerability to losing the ball to pressing against teams more likely to deny them space.

In Morgan Schneiderlin, Ander Herrera and Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mourinho has plenty of alternatives for more aggressive opponents, even without venturing into the transfer market.

Jon Super/Associated Press

The new manager should not go to the same lengths as the previous incumbent to keep his captain happy. Ultimately, that was one of the things that cost Van Gaal his job.

Rooney may not be willing to accept a more secondary role, but if he does not, the alternative should be that he moves on. Mourinho wants to build a new era of success at United. It increasingly looks as though Rooney is a remnant of the last era rather than part of that future.

He has been a vital figure at United over the past decade, but his importance will surely diminish in the seasons ahead.

Advanced data per WhoScored.com.