If you wanted to find a sense of perspective about Manchester United and, quite frankly, some class, then Mark Hughes, rather than Jose Mourinho, was the individual to listen to in the narrow back corridors of Stoke City’s ground late on Saturday.

Outside on the pitch, Wayne Rooney had just become United’s most prolific goalscorer of all time and while Hughes’ tribute was commensurate with the accomplishment, Mourinho wound up talking in a way which – like almost all of his utterances – was political and designed to settle scores.

When the question was put to him whether Rooney would want to end his days in China, most would have hoped for a decent, heart-felt response. Namely, that he would always be welcome at the club where he has been a talisman during the difficult late years of the Ferguson era and scored his goals in a proletarian way – making endless yards of tracking and tackling, in the process.

No. Mourinho was not willing to go down that line. “You will have to ask him. The future belongs to him…” he said, having mounted a defence of the Chinese Super League which would have seemed weird to those unfamiliar with the little games he likes to play. Arsene Wenger and Jurgen Klopp have both questioned the money China is throwing in front of Premier League players and Mourinho wanted to spread a little poison in their direction. “I know some of my colleagues. They think they are more important than they are. They are critical with the lives of other people. I am not this kind of guy.”

Mourinho knows the news machine well enough to intuit how his observations would look in print. And sure enough, by 10.30pm the finale of a Football Writers’ Association gathering in London to mark Rooney’s extraordinary career on Sunday coincided with their publication: ‘Rooney can go if he wants.’

This was consistent with the struggle it has been to procure from the United manager a fitting assessment of Rooney’s record. The prerequisite of managing such a storied institution as United is an understanding of its history. Yet when Rooney equalled Sir Bobby Charlton’s record against Reading a few weeks ago, the best Mourinho could offer was that breaking it would be even better. And when he did so, Mourinho’s prime message was: ‘Why has it taken him so long?’ “You should talk about Wayne's record today and tomorrow 24 hours and then finish,” he said on Saturday.

If a Liverpool player had been on the brink of such a record it is hard to imagine Jurgen Klopp not being present in London at an FWA event to mark it. The same would apply to Pep Guardiola and a Manchester City player. Yet this is how things are with Mourinho, an individual too self-absorbed to understand that it’s not just about him. His Rooney responses have been cold to the point of austerity.

While Mourinho was sending out his spite on Saturday, Rooney was down in the player/journalist mixed zone, declaring once again after his 23-minute cameo that he has not given up on getting his place back. "I want to win my place back. I have been in and out of the team and I need to keep trying to perform and score to stay in the team."

Wayne Rooney is now Manchester United's all-time top goalscorer (Getty)

Say what you want about the way he has wrung two new contracts out of United in the past seven years and the fact that his light has dimmed. Lesser players would have withdrawn their goodwill having been reduced to the periphery, though he has seized his scant opportunities this winter, looked up for it and lost weight.

It took Zlatan Ibrahimovic, an individual who knows class when he sees it, to tell it as it is on Rooney. “I don’t see any other strikers like him today,” he said. “Give me some names. Tell me.” None were forthcoming. “And still you’re not happy...?” The Swede’s quotes don’t tell the full story, actually. He was so indignant about Rooney’s treatment that a United press officer hastened across to find out who on earth had upset him.

Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Show all 22 1 /22 Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Lee Grant – 7 out of 10 Made a couple of smart stops but never did anything more than expected of him. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Glen Johnson – 6 out of 10 Was allowed to take advantage of United’s narrow midfield but kept busy defensively. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Ryan Shawcross – 7 out of 10 Did well to combat the combined muscle of Ibrahimovic and Fellaini in the aerial battles. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Bruno Martins Indi – 6 out of 10 Was strong defensively, even if he was caught out of position at times. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Erik Pieters – 7 out of 10 Marauded forward well and got his reward when his cross was turned in by Mata. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Charlie Adam – 6 out of 10 Made his presence in the centre of midfield felt as he harried United’s stars. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Glenn Whelan – 6 out of 10 Watched Pogba well throughout and made sure his impact on the game was limited to the deeper positions. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Marko Arnautovic – 6 out of 10 Cynical yellow card for pulling down Herrera on the break and was not too influential in an attacking sense. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Xherdan Shaqiri – 5 out of 10 Had a decent effort from a cut inside shot, but should have fed Crouch better when Stoke had a two on two in the first half. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Joe Allen – 6 out of 10 Neat touches and effortless passing as his glided around the field but nothing much more meaningful than that. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Peter Crouch – 5 out of 10 Was a nuisance for Jones and Smalling and always a danger in the air. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings David De Gea – 6 out of 10 Nothing he could do about the goal and had little to do other than that. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Antonio Valencia – 6 out of 10 Was called the best right-back in the world by his manager but other than his usual overlaps, did little to reinforce that view. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Phil Jones – 6 out of 10 Looking more and more like the player Sir Alex Ferguson once predicted he would be and won some crucial tackles and interceptions. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Chris Smalling – 6 out of 10 Preferred to Rojo in defence and took the armband but had his work cut out with Crouch. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Daley Blind – 5 out of 10 Had plenty of space to get forward but lacked the pace to turn it into any sort of danger for United. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Ander Herrera – 7 out of 10 His usual high-octane performance and fast becoming one of the first names on the teamsheet. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Paul Pogba – 5 out of 10 Saw his effectiveness reduced as his was played in a deeper role and saw his snap-volley punched away well by Grant. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Marouane Fellaini – 6 out of 10 Had plenty of chances in the air and brought a couple of decent saves from Grant. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Juan Mata – 6 out of 10 Mata did his usual stuff but got the unfortunate final touch to divert the ball past De Gea and then missed a golden opportunity to equalise at the other end, skying his shot over from two yards. Man Utd via Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 6 out of 10 Missed a golden chance to equalise when he launched his shot into row Z in the first half, but created a great effort for Ibrahimovic before that. Getty Images Stoke vs Manchester United player ratings Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 5 out of 10 Had a number of chances to score but twice tried to pass when a shot looked the better option. Man Utd via Getty Images