Manchester United’s Win over Galatasaray Emphasises Questions About Wayne Rooney

Wayne Rooney is manager Jose Mourinho’s biggest problem at Manchester United.

Yes, there are issues in terms of defence, but between coaching and the transfer market, those have fairly obvious solutions.

There is a collective mentality shift needed after three seasons of failure in the Premier League, but Mourinho is well placed to address this, and the FA Cup win at the end of last season will help with that.

There are questions about some of the fringe players and whether some of the youngsters will be given the chances they need to develop. But the squad is in decent shape, and Marcus Rashford’s talent is undeniable, so at least he will surely be given the opportunity to thrive.

Rooney is still a liability for United despite his two goals #mufc https://t.co/b1ExFTLbXh

— Man United News (@ManUtdMEN) July 31, 2016

Rooney is a bigger problem than any of those.

He scored two goals against Galatasaray in Sweden on Saturday, but playing just behind the striker his all-around game was extremely poor. As Muhammad Butt of Squawka wrote:

His first touch was bad, the ball ricocheting off his feet and shins and bobbling over the pitch back to opponents.

His passing was bad, with the ball repeatedly finding its way from his feet to Galatasaray players.

His movement was bad, standing still as [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic dynamically dropped deep, creating a vacuum for the Englishman to fill with a forward run.

His runs were bad, aimless jaunts to nowhere in particular.

And although the Galatasaray game was a particularly egregious example, none of these things are new. Indeed, with a few notable performances to act as the exception to the rule, this has been typical of the United captain over the past couple of seasons.

Former manager Louis van Gaal, so insistent on playing his captain every week, recognised Rooney’s growing limitations as a forward, recognised he had better options further forward and moved him back into the centre of the park.

However, when Mourinho gave his first press conference as United manager, he made it clear midfield was not Rooney’s position:

There are many jobs on the field. The most difficult to find is one to put the ball in the net. It is normal that a player at his age will change a little bit. One thing that will never change is his natural appetite to put the ball in the net. Maybe he is not a striker, not a No. 9 anymore. But with me he will never be a No. 6, playing 50 metres from goal. Yes, his passing is amazing but mine is also amazing without pressure. Many players have a great pass, but to put the ball in the net is the most difficult. He will be a No. 9, a No. 10, a No. 9.5 but never a No. 6 or a No. 8.

This game was a perfect encapsulation of Mourinho’s point. Rooney still has his natural appetite to …

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