Rooney kisses the badge on his chest….but doesn’t put in a transfer request
The truth is that Stoke proved very little about Rooney’s midfield capabilities as the opposition was so poor, even Anderson could’ve looked mobile and dominant against the likes of Charlie Adam. Fast forward four days and following Rooney’s abysmal performance against West Ham, the knives were out.
It seemed Rooney’s poor showing at Upton Park had proven without a doubt that he wasn’t good enough for a midfield role and would surely be jettisoned in the Summer. Well allow me to err on the side of caution but the fact is neither the Britannia or the Boleyn Ground was enough to show us anything about Rooney in midfield. Against Mohammed Diame Rooney struggled, against Adam he shone, this proves very little and isn’t enough to make final decisions about the best role for him on.
One way we could decide once and for all whether Rooney is truly good enough in midfield would be to play him there for the rest of the season. There’s five games left, including ones against tough midfields such as Arsenal and Chelsea, if United really want to see whether Wazza is up to the job, let him have a run in the side against the likes of Arteta, Lampard, Cazorla and Mata. Yes, we’re still in a title race but it’s hardly the biggest gamble when you’re double digit points clear with five games to go, playing Rooney in a role he’s played in the last two games. Should he shine as United lift the title then maybe he does have a future as a CM, but should he recreate his performance at Upton Park over the next five games, then as I truly believe, it’s time to face facts that Rooney is a striker and always will be.
Is Rooney cut out for midfield? Would giving him till the remainder of the season in the position be enough?
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