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Rooney starting 11 Man Utd

Will Wayne Rooney make the Man Utd first team this season?

Wayne Rooney was captain of Manchester United under Van Gaal, and therefore sure of his place in the team.

Now that United have brought in Zlatan Ibrahimovic to play with Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, it was assumed that Rooney would play in midfield.

Rooney Man Utd

Yet Jose Mourinho has said that Rooney will never play in midfield while he is manager at Old Trafford. The Portuguese admits that Rooney is no longer a striker; the explicit intention is that he will play as a number 10, behind the front man.

But is there room for Rooney in United’s formidable forward line and does he still have what it takes?

Rooney Man Utd this season

While Henrikh Mkhitaryan excelled as a winger at Borussia Dortmund, he looked great in the number 10 role during pre-season. So while competition in that role was once a little slim, Rooney now faces an uncertain future.

Let’s face it – Rooney is nowhere near the player he used to be. The reason Van Gaal moved his captain into midfield in the first place was because he has lost pace, but retains pitbull-like instincts when chasing down the ball (very useful in midfield). Despite another disappointing tournament for England at Euro 2016, Rooney has proven effective in a midfield role for his country. Yet his lack of pace will make him less effective up front.

Rooney starting 11 Man Utd

But what about his role as club captain? Surely that guarantees the 30-year-old former Everton man a place in the first team? No. While that did indeed compel Van Gaal to keep him in the team, it is unlikely that Mourinho will let a silly thing like captaincy get in the way of picking his best starting XI.

There is proof of this: While at Real Madrid, Mourinho dropped Iker Casillas for Antonio Adan. He then went on to sign Diego Lopez who robbed Casillas of a starting place. Mourinho is ruthless and isn’t afraid of dropping anyone if he feels the need.

Sure, Rooney’s captaincy affords him the opportunity to fight for his place in the team. Yet there is no use in hoping for the old Rooney; his days as the arguably best striker in the world are long behind him. And with some talented young players rising up fast, it would appear only a matter of time until Rooney is forced to leave.

 

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Andy Clark

Andy Clark

Founder and Editor at Thatsagoal.com
Andy is the founder and editor of thatsagoal.com and now looks after the tipping team to ensure we are bringing you the best free football betting tips around.
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