Sport
ROONEY, MOURINHO AND THE MAN UNITED DILEMMA
It is becoming more and more difficult to discuss Wayne Rooney’s situation at Manchester United. Supporters, rival fans, journalists and just about everyone else will agree he doesn’t deserve to hold down a place in Jose Mourinho’s first team, more so now than under Louis van Gaal or David Moyes. Yet, the former Everton youngster remains immovable, despite his disappointing form stretching across multiple seasons.
Swing across Manchester and two pillars of City’s recent success—Yaya Toure and Joe Hart—have had their influence demolished. While Hart was loaned to Torino due to being an ill fit with Pep Guardiola’s passing style, Yaya’s demise can be compared to Rooney’s struggle.
Yes, many have made the point that Pep has the guts to abandon club legends and Mourinho does not. While that is important for the current success of City as a team, it’s also vital for the progress of the players in question. Yaya and Hart know hard-work will lead them toward a better future—whether it’s with City or not is irrelevant—while Rooney is currently being allowed to dawdle through matches with the knowledge there will be no repercussions.
Rooney’s display during the recent 3-1 loss to Watford was abysmal. For the first time, he genuinely looked as if he was beginning to question himself. He misplaced simple balls, showed an uncharacteristic lethargy and let the game pass him by. The most worrying part of all was he appeared to abandon his instincts and succumbed to overthinking every action.
Physicality and willpower have always been key facets of his game—making him unstoppable brute at his best—but these attributes are dwindling. Many world-class players find ways to reinvent themselves in the latter stages of their careers, extending their relevance at the top. Ryan Giggs was an excellent example of this for United, as he managed to overcome the loss of pace with smart, incisive passing and vision.
It’s questionable whether Rooney has the self-awareness to make such an adjustment, especially when three managers in a row have done him a disservice by remaining unresponsive to poor performances. If he’s told everything is okay, his career will fizzle out.
The situation is even more curious when you consider Mourinho has publicly lambasted Jesse Lingard, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Luke Shaw since joining United. Why is Rooney spared similar treatment? It’s not even about bashing him in public—a technique that stirs up its own debate—but if Mourinho is going to remain brutally honest in front of the world, he cannot pick and choose which names to sacrifice. Authority isn’t established by being selective, but rather by treating every player on equal standing.
Mourinho arrived at United with a well-deserved reputation ranking him among the sport’s most legendary managers. Rooney will go down in history as one England’s greatest ever superstars, and rightfully so. Yet the pair are vital to each other’s future. As such, they need to come to a conclusion on two difficult questions: what is Rooney’s best position and does he even have a future at Old Trafford? An inconclusive answer to either should spell an end to his tenure with the club.
Rooney is no longer United’s best No. 9, 10, 6 or 8. He is, however, among their greatest financial assets, a number far more important than that printed on the back of his shirt. His presence in the team may well be stopping Paul Pogba and others from fulfilling their potential, but the Rooney dilemma underlines United’s standing in the modern game. No decision can be made purely on whether Rooney’s performances negatively affect the team; business sense is also factored in.
His career-long stardom has helped United to continue spending vast sums on the best talent, but one month away from his 31st birthday, Rooney’s international fame no longer makes up for a sudden inability to complete basic functions on the pitch. Mourinho just needs to realise this before his United career can move forward.
