Wayne Rooney, sweltering out of position
I remember a 18-year old Wayne arriving at the Carrington training complex on transfer deadline day. The signing had no dearth of excitement as Sir Alex had put faith in yet another teenager; which little did anyone know that time, would write pages of history at Manchester United.
I write this 11 years, 1 month, 27 days later still being upbeat and positive about Wayne Rooney. Not that I’m Wayne’s biggest fan, probably no United fan would claim so at this moment of time, but he deserves plaudits for sticking around with the club through his personal tough times. The true story behind Wayne’s controversial thoughts about staying loyal to Manchester United may get unraveled when he writes his autobiography after hanging up his boots, but what he has given Manchester United over the past 11 years is nothing short of outstanding.
A few years back, and even now, you could never see a United team without Rooney in it. You knew, without Rooney, we lacked something, the performances would be dull, listless, and once he was back, it would seem as if someone had breathed life into the players who again played with aggression. That someone, over the years, has been Wayne Rooney. You may have read countless articles about what Wayne offers to United, and I myself have written a few, but this article is not about that.
The once upon a time child prodigy, the wonder-kid who was, the kid who has been the focal point to England’s hope of winning another major Championship for the past decade, has been under intense scrutiny from the media about his performances off late; and some of it is completely justified. Wayne has always come back stronger when his back has been against a wall – and I expect him to do so again. But the nadir to which he has fallen seems a bit too low this time. Never has he looked like he’s not giving his 100% on a football pitch. And that is a bit worrying, I agree.
Wayne’s only criticism for United might be that the managers have played him out of position too many times for too long periods, and now that he’s finally playing at his preferred position, something seems missing. The boy who once, would not leave even a single blade of grass untouched, has now been confined to a striker’s position giving his worst performances in a United shirt, which ironically is his natural position. A simple analogy to look inside Wayne’s psyche is that he very similar to a wild animal – you shouldn’t and can’t contain him for long. He will lash out sooner rather than later. But somehow, Louis Van Gaal has managed to do that, with a probable bait of the captain’s armband in addition to a guaranteed place in the starting XI.
For all the stick Wayne gets from the fans, I think he’s handled being United’s icon pretty well. He has managed to shun out all the negative press about him, and focused on being an ideal professional at United, leading the team through difficult times. Under Moyes, arguably United’s worst season in the past 3 decades, he shone in a team that looked short of passion, and most often mediocre. Yes, he did throw tantrums when he was forced to play in central midfield when the club lacked midfielders; he did put in a transfer request after falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson because the Scot played him in multiple positions but his preferred role, to suit the team. But you know, I don’t blame Rooney for holding the club to ransom over a contract with high wages, for what he had to endure at the club, being undervalued over the years, I can understand his agony.
Looking back, the Ronaldo-Tevez-Rooney trio was the best United had ever seen, with Ronaldo bagging most of the goals while it was Rooney who worked tirelessly to create goals, as well as helping out in defence. You never thought someone could cage the wild animal inside him, although there was always that feeling that Rooney should be less emotional on the pitch and let his football do the talking. Controversies and forever impossible expectations from media and fans alike, would jeopardize Rooney’s career. Everyone knew that and yet, each one of us wanted him to fulfill his ultimate potential to become a world-class player and lead England to win a major Championship after 1968. This pressure, controversies during his entire United career, coupled with his own attitude, derailed him off the path to true greatness.
Now that he’s experiencing the worst patch of his United career, we need to stand by him, and not hurl abuses. Maybe he has failed to fulfill his true potential and not become a world-class player that he was once touted to be, but he has been a great player for United. We have all read and heard about Wayne’s character and mental toughness throughout these years from numerous legends of the game, and they all seem to agree on one thing – he’s a fighter who never gives up. Instead of writing negatively and criticising Rooney, we should be all backing him to show his best form soon – for all the good memories he has given us in a United shirt, we owe him that much at the very least.
