Can Wayne Rooney Really Excel In Midfield?

It was a welcome relief when Louis Van Gaal persisted with Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, and Jesse Lingard as Manchester United’s dynamic front three despite the return of club captain Wayne Rooney from injury.

But rather than ostracising England’s record goal-scorer just before the Euros Van Gaal decided to accommodate Rooney, moving him into a central midfielder berth that he has occupied for the last two games. Against Everton and Leicester City though neither the player nor the team have looked entirely comfortable.

While Rooney’s determination to get on the ball and be an integral part of every game he plays is commendable, in these contests he still looked as though he was adjusting to the role.

There were too many Hollywood passes that more often than not landed on the chest of his target but also slowed down United’s attacks and seemed more superfluous and flashy than necessary.

Most worryingly though was how often Wayne Rooney was overrun in midfield when opponents put United on the back foot, with his 14-year career looking like it had suddenly caught up with him.

During the second-half of United’s FA Cup Semi-Final with Everton Rooney seemed to spend more time arguing with referee Anthony Taylor rather than performing his duties as captain and orchestrating Louis Van Gaal’s troops accordingly.

Even against Leicester City, the already booked Wayne Rooney was lucky not to see red after pulling back Leonardo Ulloa as the newly crowned Premier League champions counter attacked towards David De Gea’s goal.

It feels bad to criticise Wayne Rooney for not immediately excelling in a position where he’s hardly played. But Manchester United don’t have time to either wait and see or try and fit him into their side.

Much has been made of Rooney’s passing ability and the fact that he can spread the ball out to the wings in a manner akin to Paul Scholes. But there were many, many more strings to the ginger magician’s bow than simply placing a pass onto the feet of his teammate from whatever distance he pleased.

Scholes would know how to dictate the pace of the game, using small, quick passes to build up a tempo, stretching the play when he knew that teams could be opened up, and occasionally scything down opponents to bring play to a complete halt so that United could regain that shape and composure.

Wayne Rooney’s yet to showcase the same temperament and know-how that allowed Paul Scholes, and the likes of Darren Fletcher, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, and Bryan Robson before him, to excel in the position.

The problem is that United can no longer afford the time to find out if these attributes will actually manifest in their captain, or if he’s just dead weight there.

[Images via Getty/Laurence Griffiths & Julian Finney]