In Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season, Wayne Rooney was deployed in a central midfield role. Thinking of that season, and Rooney’s position in midfield, I can’t help but think of his sublime assist against Aston Villa F.C.
It seemed that Rooney was destined for the new found role as his side’s playmaker. Although, since Sir Alex’s departure Rooney has been consistently changing positions, and never had a proper spell in central midfield.
I believe that he never had the opportunity of growing into a new role, and that is haunting the player right now. So far, whenever I’ve seen Rooney playing for Manchester United F.C. this season I can’t help but notice that he no longer plays with the same sharpness as he used to.
In a number of games his touch seemed a bit heavy, and his anticipation has been slower than his teammates. For a forward these two attributes are critical.
Looking at Rooney’s age, he is only 30 years old, even though it seems he’s been playing for ages. Rooney broke through the first team football at 16 years of age, and has been a pivotal player ever since.
Without a doubt he had contributed a lot for club and country, but I believe Rooney is no longer capable of making the same contribution as he used to.
In the last two league games, Rooney featured for United coming off the bench. In his absence the team looked more fluid going forward, and a number of players looked more dominant.
Paul Pogba for one looked much better in these games, where he was able to influence the game with his passing and link-up play. While Juan Mata seemed more at ease in the number ten role than playing off the wings.
Since United have shown that they can play entertaining football without Rooney in the side it means that he must adapt his game. Right now he has no option but to reinvent himself in order to influence matches. Coming off the bench in the Europa League and in last weekend’s match against Stoke City F.C., Rooney didn’t look like he made an impact to his side’s attacks. I believe he should look at how players remained valuable assets for their team by changing the way they play.
In contrast to Rooney, his new teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 35 years of age, and has adapted his game as he grew older. Ibrahimovic no longer relies on his pace to go forward, to get past defenders. Instead, he looks to create an opportunity or finish it more clinically.
His touches have been immaculate, and his sharpness in passing overshadowed his declining pace. In addition, he uses his physical presence as an advantage against defenders.
Other great examples could be seen in Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Giggs went from a pacey winger to a central midfielder towards the end of his career while Scholes started out in a more forward role, but as he grew older he played in a deeper playmaking position.
In my view, this season will be testing for Rooney, where he faces fierce competition in a number of positions. He will have to reinvent himself, in order to remain a valuable asset for club and country.