Wayne Rooney is back… but it’s not enough to vanquish a resilient Newcastle

Where has this Wayne Rooney been all this time?

Perhaps it was the verve and movement of his teammates, or the familiar black and white stripes of the opposition, but Man United’s captain played like it was 2005 all over again.

A decade ago, a young and petulant Rooney slapped a thunder-bastard of a volley past a helpless Shay Given. On Tuesday night, he carved a beautiful strike beyond a similarly stranded Rob Elliot.

It was no brief glimmer either. Throughout the match, in which he also contributed an emphatic penalty and delicious reserve-pass to assist Jesse Lingard, Rooney was superb.

He has received his fair share of criticism over the months (years?) and most of it has been absolutely justified. However, his performance against Newcastle showed that he is still capable of match-winning turns.

That Van Gaal actually allowed his players to attack with speed and a level of freedom certainly helped. Rooney had willing and mobile runners around him for a change, and he was twice the player.

Alas it wasn’t enough. A Newcastle United side languishing at the bottom end of the table showed a fortitude and mental strength that belies their current position in the relegation zone.

And that’s the cruel irony. A Van Gaal side playing quick, daring, intuitive football seems unable to hold on for validatory success. Exactly the same thing happened against Wolfsburg.

The exciting means don’t result in a satisfactory end. There were many positives for Man United on the night – a rejuvenated Rooney being the most obvious. But the record now shows 2 wins in 12 games.

Play in a solid attritional manner and Man United can’t score. Open up and excite the fans, and they can’t stop conceding. It is an equation that Van Gaal needs to solve urgently. At least we know Rooney can help.