“I would like to coach [Wayne] Rooney, but my friend Sir Alex Ferguson can rest easy – it is impossible…”
So said Jose Mourinho back in 2010. At the time he was the manager of Real Madrid and there were rumours that he sought to tempt Manchester United’s talisman to La Liga. Little did he know that six years later, he would indeed get an opportunity to coach Wayne Rooney, but at Old Trafford rather than the Bernabeu.
But here’s the thing: it’s not the same Rooney. He may be only 30 years of age, but he plays more like a veteran at the very tail end of his career. Some would suggest that’s largely due to miles on the clock, after 14 long years at the highest level; others would argue he hasn’t looked after himself quite like a Ronaldo or an Ibrahimovic.
Whatever the reason, this is at least a different Rooney, perhaps one ripe for reinvention. The player himself has shown commendable self-awareness and spent the last six months or so attempting to sell himself as a neo-Scholes. For both club and country, he has suggested that his future lies in midfield rather than attack.
“I have played and watched Paul Scholes play that role for years and I always knew that one day that is where I would play, so I have tried to learn and watch what he did. It is still early days, but hopefully, if I keep playing there, I can develop and get better.”
– Wayne Rooney
Unfortunately for the Croxteth Pirlo, Mourinho kiboshed such talk with a searingly on-the-nose appraisal.
Many fans and experts alike were gushing over the fact that Rooney was able to float 40-yard passes out to the wing whilst being hustled and harried by precisely nobody. Jose wasn’t having any of it and was frank to the point of cruel.
“For me he will never me a number 6. He will never play 50 metres away from the goal. Yes, his passing is amazing but my passing is also amazing with no pressure. For me, he will be a number 9, a number 10 and number 9-and-a-half.”
– Jose Mourinho
Ouch. There are of course two ways of taking that comment. It is either a very harsh but necessary truth that needed to be stated in order to banish any delusions on the striker’s part, or it is a glowing endorsement of Rooney the more offensive animal, who is wasted so far away from the goal. In truth, it’s probably a bit of both.
A key decision for each of United’s managers since Sir Alex Ferguson retired was how they treated Rooney and what level of importance they afforded him. The simple answers are like royalty and a lot. Both David Moyes and Louis van Gaal made the England man their captain and the focal point of their respective teams.
In fairness, it is easy to understand why. Rooney’s influence and standing amongst his fellow pros at Old Trafford cannot be overstated. Following the departures of Ferdinand, Vidic, Fletcher and Evra, he became the undisputed top dog of the dressing room – and for any incoming manager it was imperative to keep him onside.
But then Mourinho is not just any manager.
Unlike Moyes or Van Gaal, he is not swimming against the tide of suggestions that he is a has-been or a never-was. His remit is far closer to the absolute power that Fergie enjoyed, rather than the lame duck status of the two hapless inbetweeners. Some would even suggest that the Mourinho/Mendes cabal have too much influence.
Thus far the new manager’s treatment of Rooney has been intriguing. He has of course waxed obligatory lyrical about the player and tellingly (but not unsurprisingly) maintained him as the club captain. Rooney has returned the favour in kind with stock comments about how much he’s looking forward to working with the Portuguese.
“It’s exciting. Jose [Mourinho] is one of the best managers in the world. He knows the Premier League really well. For myself and the other United players, it’s exciting times and I’m looking forward to it.”
– Wayne Rooney
That said, there is little to suggest that Mourinho is building his team around the Scouse anchor. In fact his busy summer of high-profile acquisitions would suggest that Jose could cope just fine without him. Barring the obvious exception of Eric Bailly, all of United signings thus far play in areas of the pitch formerly reserved for Rooney.
Even acquiring just one of Ibrahimovic, Mkhitaryan and the pending Pogba would create some serious debate about how it impinges upon the skipper’s automatic place, but the three of them together pose of all sorts of scenarios – and not all of them include Rooney. Between them they play 8, 9, 10 and every decimal in between.
That is not to suggest that it is curtains for the former Everton man just yet. Many will point to accidentally leaked tactics board in Matilde Mourinho’s infamous snap of her husband in United attire, which showed two players in each position in the team, with Rooney sitting pretty just behind a front three.
https://twitter.com/MourinhoMatilde/status/755399265057435649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Indeed, who is to say that Rooney won’t reinvent himself under Mourinho’s tutelage? He combined beautifully with Cristiano Ronaldo before his partner in crime left for Madrid; perhaps the influx of world-class talents to play off will reinvigorate his stalling career. He has his critics amongst United’s support but they’d more than welcome a renaissance.
But Mourinho doesn’t seem to be counting wholly and completely on that. Rooney may have to get used to the fact that he is now an option than the option. It could well be the best thing to happen to him in years, or it could feasibly be the beginning of the end. His new manager may be willing to give the player just enough rope to do the proverbial.
One way or another, it will be fascinating to see the whole Rooney saga play out. He has gone from irresistible force to immoveable object in his time at Old Trafford. It is up to him to prove to Mourinho that he is worth a third act.
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