Wayne Rooney deserves Manchester United recognition

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney will have a testimonial on August 3rd 2016 after a fans campaign

Wayne Rooney will enjoy a testimonial with Manchester United which will take place next August, after Red Devils fans campaigned for their captain to be honoured for his services to the club.

The profits of the match will go to various charities such as Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s hospital, the NSPCC and Claire House Hospice.

The honour is just reward for a player who has given fantastic service to the Red Devils.

Icon

The 30-year-old is now a Manchester United icon. He’s gone from young Scouser to Manchester United hero in the 11 years since joining from boyhood club Everton back in 2004.

When people talk about United icons, people will talk about George Best, Bobby Charlton, Bryan Robson, Matt Busby and Sir Alex Ferguson. Rooney may not get the same acclaim as those other stellar names, but for a generation of United fans he will be their icon.

Over-hyped

Rooney was always a very good player, but unfortunately the British media over-hyped the striker, which lead to unrealistic expectations.

He was compared to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, to the detriment of his career really as he was hailed as the saviour of English football. To be fair to Rooney he has gone on to become the Three Lions record ever goal scorer, even if he has failed to produce at major tournaments.

His contemporaries Ronaldo and Messi have not always turned up at the big tournaments for their countries either, so it would be unfair to beat Rooney with that particular stick.

Talented

No doubt Wayne Rooney is a talented footballer. He would not have produced 236 goals in 493 appearances for the Red Devils if he was not. He would also not have played such a key role in five Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy if he was not.

His vision, intelligence and skill are often overlooked because he has not been prolific in front goal at times for United in recent seasons.

Honest

Wayne Rooney is a working-class boy made good. He is only human, he has made mistakes in the past, but his honesty at times is refreshing. He came from nothing to become one of the world’s best known footballers.

The England captain comes across as a humble, quiet guy off the pitch. He gives his all on the pitch and often his passion gets the better of him. The same could be said about the fans on the terraces though, as he is a true football man.

Rooney enjoys football and he gives everything he has whether he is playing for Manchester United, or England.

This season his performances have not been great and it has led to some United fans calling for their captain to be dropped from the team. Maybe they should remember the enjoyment that Rooney has brought them in the past and show some support for the forward.

United boss Louis van Gaal was asked about Rooney’s performance against Manchester City in the derby on Sunday. The Dutchman was obviously not impressed by the question as he said: ‘I have to talk every week about Rooney, why? You have your opinion, write it. I don’t give any more answers about Wayne Rooney. I am sick of them.’

Unfinished

For all the recent criticism has received recently Wayne Rooney is far from finished at United or in top-flight football. Rooney’s critics always seem to be ready to put the knife into the striker, despite his achievements at United.

Why so much hate towards a guy who has worked so hard for club and country over the last decade? He has clearly matured in the last few years. Rooney has a lot of knowledge and advice to impart to the younger players in the United and England squads.

Wayne Rooney deserves the respect of Manchester United fans and the fact that it was the Red Devils fans that raised the issue of a testimonial shows the regard he is held at Old Trafford.

It also maybe points to the fact that there are still fans of United that appreciate Wayne Rooney and are there to support the striker.

Is the current criticism of Wayne Rooney fair on the Red Devils captain?