Wayne Rooney’s future at Manchester United is in doubt
Wayne Rooney is one of the most gifted footballers English football has produced in a long time. The 31-year-old Manchester United star could have been an even better player with the right advice and management, though.
His 13-year career at United looks to be coming to a sad end, with what now looks like an inevitable summer exit for the Red Devils all-time leading goalscorer.
Now on the peripheral at United
For the last couple of years, questions have been asked about Wayne Rooney’s place in both the United and England team. Is he still regarded as a starter? Is he still an influential figure for either side? The answer is no.
Thursday night’s game almost confirmed that. Rooney was back from injury and on the bench for his team’s Europa League quarter-final second leg. The tie was well balanced when Swedish forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic went down injured.
However, instead of replacing the Swede with the experienced striker, United boss Jose Mourinho brought on Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera. The fact that hardly anybody has mentioned that Rooney could be a contender to fill the central striker role in Ibrahimovic’s absence also says a lot.
Youngster Marcus Rashford has been in red hot form in recent games. The 19-year-old seems to be the man with the task of replacing Ibrahimovic for the rest of the campaign.
Rooney may make a few appearances before the end of the season. However, he will have nowhere near the sort of influential role he had in his prime.
Rooney is knackered
To use a good old-fashioned Scouse term Rooney is ‘knackered’. For those of you not familiar with the word it means worn-out or exhausted. The 31-year-old has been playing first team football for the more than 15 years, almost constantly.
The only rest he has had during the last decade and a half from football has been when he’s been sidelined through injury. Those spells have not exactly been good for his physical or mental state either.
Rooney has no doubt not looked after himself in the same way as the likes of Ibrahimovic or Cristiano Ronaldo. He has always been a naturally gifted footballer, but staying in shape has always seemed to be a constant battle for the striker.
His natural fitness has not always been the best, either. He is fighting against the wear and tear of 15 years of football on a body that was maybe never meant to have spent so much time running around a football pitch.
Rooney no doubt still has the football brain. However, his body is starting to give in and it is a sad sight. The striker is a hero to many and has achieved so much in the game. He has gone from working class Liverpool kid to a globe superstar, courtesy of United’s worldwide fanbase.
A return home a possibility
Wayne Rooney is a lifelong Everton and his relationship with the club he left in 2004 has mellowed over the years. The Toffees are currently the favourites to be the striker’s next destination at odds of 1/ 2.
I am not sure if that would be a good move for anybody involved. Everton boss Ronald Koeman has talked about his admiration for Rooney. However, the Dutchman is very much building a team for the future with young players at that fore.
Would Rooney play every week at a club that was looking to the future? I am not sure. Would Rooney want to play every week? That is a question only the striker could answer.
However, the England international would bring with him a winning mentally and also a huge passion for the club from Merseyside. He may have had some run-ins with Toffees fans when he first left, but he has never seemed to be able to shake off the Everton bug.
The striker, of course, will have other options available to him in the summer. There has been talk of moves to the Chinese Super League and also MLS. Whether anything comes of that only time will tell.
One other option could be that Wayne Rooney stays at United and continues as a bit-part player. The striker still has two years on his contract at United. However, there is a sense that he is no longer needed at Old Trafford.
Rooney is an emotional guy and I may be wrong but he does not strike me as the kind of guy who will be happy sitting on the bench for the next two years.
If this is his final season at Old Trafford and he does not see much action, then it will be a sad end to the United career of a great player and servant to the club.
Will Wayne Rooney leave Manchester United this summer?
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