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How Should Wayne Rooney Be Utilised By Club and Country?

How Should Wayne Rooney Be Utilised By Club and Country?

FAO: Jose Mourinho and Gareth Southgate.

Anonymous

Anonymous

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney has seen a recent downward spiral in his career having been considered previously undroppable by Louis Van Gaal and England.

However, now with Mourinho managing the team, Rooney has been dropped to the bench after a string of unimpressive performances which lead to temporary England manager, Gareth Southgate, to drop him too.

It appears that managers are fed up with forcing Rooney into their teams on the back of his decorated career only to be let down by poor individual displays. Many people have since concluded that Rooney is done for, his career is over and should be shipped out to the MLS or China.

However, this is a pretty harsh assumption to make. Not only is it disrespecting England's top scorer and Manchester United's second highest scorer but it's also a conclusion made far too early.

Rooney
Rooney

No-one can deny Rooney's poor form. Many will even say he has been poor for a couple years now compared to how he used to play.

Unfortunately for Rooney, he's no longer the player he was but that doesn't have to be a bad thing; he's simply a different kind of player now and has matured into his role as a captain and father.

He can no longer be the rash, fiery character that he once was. The Rooney of old played with his emotions bubbling at the surface, but it's okay for him to no longer be this person.

Now, however, managers should learn how to utilise him best, just as you do with any other player in the club. It's too early to say Rooney doesn't have a role to play at all.

He might not be a starter at the moment but whose to say he will never find form again? If his recent substitute appearances for United are anything to go by, he could still prove to be an important player for the Red Devils.

Rooney twice came off the bench to inspire his team to wins.

Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney

Yes, one was a miscued shot and the other a perhaps unintentional assist but there's no denying the fact that bringing him on turned the tide in United's favour. The pressure on Rooney now seems to be more than it ever has been.

Players edging towards the end of their careers start to show signs of their diminishing talents. One of these signs is there ability to impact certain games in certain periods of time.

If Rooney's career is truly ending then he should take heart from Giggs's end days. Ryan Giggs used to come on as a substitute for United to devastating effect towards the end of his career and Rooney can be used similarly.

The most notable example is during FA cup tie against West Ham where he created a beautiful assist to Robin Van Persie for a late equaliser. United struggled all game that day and failed to make an impact until Giggs was brought on.

Wayne Rooney
Wayne Rooney

At the same time, many United fans will remember the couple occasions Giggs was hooked at half time due to being more harmful than helpful.

At times he lost the ball too often and put serious pressure on his teammates. Sir Alex Ferguson recognised this and learned that Giggs can only be used in certain times and situations.

It's still early days to see whether Rooney is really towards the end of his career. He may bounce back from being dropped and return to good form. If not, he must be used in the same way Giggs was.

This isn't to make Rooney any less useful than before but instead to be smart on when to use him. Giggs would come off the bench and be given the arm band. He would start less intense games that didn't pass him by. It is possible for a player to not be a starter but to still be influential.

If Rooney fails to show that he has what it takes to remain a starter then not all is lost. Carrick is a current example too. If Mourinho can use him correctly then he will be able to use him to devastating effect.

Words By: Marwan Harraz

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