He has been one of Manchester United’s most consistent performers over the last decade or so. He has scored goals when it mattered, and picked 50-yard passes when he has needed to, whilst also leading from the front for Manchester United. But, is Wayne Rooney’s influence in the United team beginning to dwindle?

Is Wayne Rooney’s injury a blessing in disguise for Manchester United?

The former Everton forward was an immediate hit in his first season at United after a £25.6 million move in 2004. In Rooney’s Champions League debut, he scored a hat-trick and assisted once in a 6-2 victory over Fenerbahçe. Since then, Rooney has gone on to score 172 goals in 352 appearances. He is also the joint second highest goal-scorer in Premier League history, with 187 to his name (172 for United and 15 for Everton), along with Andy Cole.

So, where have things all gone wrong for Rooney? England’s all-time highest scorer has struggled for form this term with Manchester United lacking a pool of good strikers to choose from. This dearth of attacking options will have only exemplified Rooney’s poor form after the exodus of Robin van Persie and Javier Hernández to Fenerbahçe and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively. Since then, Anthony Martial was bought for £36 million and has had an immediate impact, scoring twice against Southampton and also a superb individual goal in a 3-1 win over old rivals, Liverpool. However, Martial is a teenager, inexperienced and it is not a case of whether he will hit a poor run of form, it is a matter of when.

With the options for Louis van Gaal thin to say the least, Rooney has been subject of a backlash due to the poor transfer dealings of his club. He has been left exposed to the fury of the fans as the club have been unable to protect him with another striker that can make up for his poor form, or replace him when he needs some time away from the limelight. This has not been the case, though, with supporters calling for him to be benched.

Fans have had their pleas answered, though, with Rooney ruled out of the Manchester United team with an ankle injury initially thought to be not too serious. However, manager, Louis van Gaal, was quoted on the BBC website as saying: “He [Wayne Rooney] is more injured than I thought…he needs more time”. This injury news means that Rooney was missing from the home game against West Ham, and will likely miss the Champions League game against Bundesliga side, Wolfsburg.

Whether fans wanted him to be injured and benched, or just benched, is irrelevant now, with Rooney ruled out for their upcoming must-win Champions League game. Rooney also missed West Ham United’s visit to Old Trafford which ended in a goalless draw, with the United attack struggling to make an impact on a game which could have seen the Mancunian club take second in the table after Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat against Stoke.

So, what are the alternative choices for Manchester United? Anthony Martial has netted a handful of goals for United so far, but an injury he picked up whilst with France has stunted his game time since his return to Manchester. However, he is once again fit and did start against West Ham. How much responsibility can be placed upon the shoulders of such an inexperienced player? His form will eventually dip and the goals will dry up.

When that inevitably happens, Martial will need an experienced player to put his arm around him and nurture him through his bad form. This would of course be the job of Wayne Rooney as the senior striker, but if he can’t resurrect his own goal-scoring form, then how can he hope to help Martial? Indeed, his performance against West Ham left much to be desired with the forward struggling to impose himself upon a physical West Ham side.

Martial is an undoubted talent. An enormous price tag, which could still increase, can often weigh heavily on the mind of a player that is constantly striving to justify their fee, and can never truly do so. Martial, however, seems to enjoy the hype surrounding him and, while he has in no way fully justified his price yet, he is moving in the right direction to do so.

It has been well-documented that United have a lack of strikers other than Rooney and Martial. The other options that van Gaal could call upon are not natural strikers. Memphis Depay has been utilised recently and his pace was a welcome attribute in the final third for United. However, his finishing is not of the same standard of a van Persie or an in-form Rooney, so chances would be missed, meaning United would be vulnerable in games in which chances are scarce.

Van Gaal may look to use the likes of Juan Mata or Ashley Young in a more advanced position, too. However, Young, much like Depay, is naturally a wide player and Juan Mata is more comfortable pulling the strings behind the forwards. This, therefore, rules out using three very talented players in a position that does not aptly utilise their abilities.

Marouane Fellaini has been used up front in the past by United, but it has been more prominently in the final 10 minutes of a game in which United need a goal. Fellaini has the height, strength and heading ability to be a real target man in the box, but his tactical ability and spatial awareness is not good enough for him to be a lone striker. He is better served playing just behind a forward in a centre attacking position, able to move into the box while following an attacking move as opposed to starting one, which is not his strength. James Wilson could also be used in attack for United, but he suffers from the same inexperience as Martial and so would likely not be able to lead the line for a side desperately seeking a prolific striker. Due to his inexperience, he has been loaned out to Championship side Brighton and Hove Albion, so is unlikely to feature in van Gaal’s plans for Manchester United this season.

This injury lay-off for Rooney is not likely to be the golden period that United fans have been hoping for. Of course, there is always a chance that the team could gel without Rooney and employ the attacking philosophy that has seemed to disappear so easily. However, it is more probable that United will struggle for goals and fluency with an emphasis on clean sheets and defensive organisation more prominent in van Gaal’s strategy.

Matt Le Tissier told Sky Sports: “Rooney suffers because they don’t attack in the same numbers as when they believed they could outscore whoever they came up against”. Le Tissier seems to agree with many fans that cite van Gaal’s defensive tactics as the problem for United, as they have become a team that does not want to be beaten, rather than appear a team that wants to beat everyone else.

The party that is genuinely most likely to benefit from Rooney’s absence is Rooney himself. The striker will be able to enjoy some time on the sidelines, away from the criticism of the fans, and be given the opportunity to reflect upon his own performances. While no player would ever wish an injury on themselves for time away from the game, Rooney may be quietly pleased with his luck. If United do struggle in their upcoming games, then both the team and the fans will be relieved to see their captain return to the team, thus, displaying the fickle nature of football.

For a player that has achieved so much for club and country, Rooney is allowed very little leeway. If he plays well he is applauded, but as soon as his form dips slightly, the critics come out in force. Perhaps this is the price he pays for being one of the brightest talents of this English generation. With the January transfer window opening soon, fans will be calling for van Gaal to employ new striking talent. However, it is a very rare that a huge money signing will be made in the January window, and actually be a success. Just ask Fernando Torres.

Therefore, it is quite likely that, if van Gaal were to buy a new striker and they were to have little impact, it would only intensify the problems at Old Trafford. Panic buys should be avoided by in this situation; Louis van Gaal should trust his current club captain to rediscover his form and attempt to lead his team towards an unprecedented title.

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