Manchester United: Wayne Rooney becoming mere figurehead
Manchester United has clearly moved on from Wayne Rooney, but many are claiming he’s still the ‘main man’. He’s become like the Queen of England.
Manchester United has become synonymous with Wayne Rooney. The quintessential Englishman has been the heartbeat of the club since he arrived from Everton back in 2004. He became Sir Alex Ferguson’s golden boy and he was the glue that held the team together throughout the reigns of David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
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Mainly because he was one of the few consistent faces on the team.
Now, despite Jose Mourinho’s best efforts, Wayne Rooney has been dropped and the effect has been magnificent. Immediately upon being dropped, United snapped out of their funk and dominated the defending champions to the tune of 4-1. You could say that the Rooney droppage made all the difference.
The style of play showed such differences as Zlatan having more freedom, as well as just looking more effective overall. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford, who could well be the next Wayne Rooney, is continuing his torrid pace in the Premier League and at his young age, there is no reason to deviate from his place in the starting XI.
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After hearing the clamor from the fans to get Rooney out of the starting XI, it was only a matter of time before Jose tried. However, the response to his being dropped is rather curious.
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Obviously Rooney is still held in high regard with Manchester United, but the amount of respect that he actually has garnered over the years is permeating through from everywhere.
Everyone seems to be coming to his defense now that he has been ousted. Both Jose Mourinho and Chris Smalling (among others, I’m sure), have come out backing Rooney as the ‘main man’ at Manchester United and vouching for his continued relevance with the squad.
That’s cute and everything, but didn’t we just see how powerful United can be without him? And that being said, has Rooney taken on a sort of ‘Queen of England’ feel, where he is revered by everyone, but his actual practical use is as nothing more than a figurehead.
Rooney is only 30, so it’s not like his career is kaput, but what hope does he have of breaking back into Manchester United’s starting XI? Only time will tell.
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