Why Is Wayne Rooney so Unpopular and Unloved Among Manchester United Fans?

In the coming months, it is highly likely Wayne Rooney will overtake Sir Bobby Charlton to become Manchester United’s leading goal scorer of all time.

Rooney needs just four more goals to dislodge Charlton and his total of 249 goals from the top of the list.

This is a record that has remained unbeaten since Charlton brought his playing career at Old Trafford to an end in 1973.

So it would naturally be assumed Rooney is being lauded by Manchester United’s fans, for over the last 12 years, his goals have helped bring the club five Premier League titles, a Champions League, two League Cups, a Club World Cup and, in May, an FA Cup.

But Rooney’s relationship with United’s fans is more complicated than that, and it has never been more strained. 

On Twitter, I recently posed the simple question, “How do United fans feel about Wayne Rooney?” Look away, Wayne, because the response was overwhelmingly negative.

On the brink of immortality, why has Rooney become so unloved and unpopular among United’s legion of fans?

The above opinions represent those of many of the United fans who responded, as they believe Rooney doesn’t deserve a place in United’s starting XI.

There is a growing resentment aimed at the player because since 2013, under managers David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and now Jose Mourinho, he has appeared to be immune from being dropped.

 No matter how poor his form becomes, he remains in the team.

The issue of Rooney’s position is likely to reach a head this season, for his presence in the team appears to be hurting others. And according to some fans, it has become obvious.

He is no longer an orthodox striker, for that is the domain of faster or more prolific attackers in Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial.

So Mourinho is using him as a No. 10, but so far, the United captain hasn’t impressed there, where many fans believe it would be better to deploy either Juan Mata or Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

To accommodate Rooney as a No. 10, Mourinho has been setting up his sides in a 4-2-3-1 formation. But this means playing Paul Pogba in the midfield two, a position that is clearly not conducive to getting the best out of his immense …

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