Yet another game came and went where Wayne Rooney was able to add a goal to his name, bringing his tally to eight for the season and just five short of breaking the Manchester United record of 249 goals, set by Sir Bobby Charlton.

Wayne Rooney Revival Key to United Success

The numbers look good, but they aren’t nearly on the top of the list of things playing a role in the recent run of success by Manchester United. Wayne Rooney has been able to knock in goals on multiple occasions over the past few weeks, including a beauty of a goal against Derby County in the FA Cup. The fact that he is seemingly finding his footing at this point in the season is a massive boost for a squad that has been booed by its own supporters for a lack of attacking activity.

You could go on for days about how Rooney scoring is important, but it won’t keep United in the ever-important top four places that guarantee entrance into the Champions League, but the latter isn’t entirely true. Rooney is the last semblance of a seemingly long lost era that was the reign of Sir Alex Ferguson.

He wasn’t just named captain of one of the biggest clubs on the planet because he was a prolific goalscorer in his younger years, but because he knows how the club is run and what it truly means to be a captain of Manchester United, and that is something that shouldn’t be thrown away so easily. Some questioned whether Rooney was unselfish enough to be an effective captain, but he has proven that through his apparent change in attitude, and playing style as well, that he can contribute much more than goals to the club.

Things are at a desperate point for the club and, even though it was only three years ago, they are a long way from being a title-winning team. This is the most important factor as to why Wayne Rooney was, and still is, the right name to be the captain.

Rooney will eventually go into the record books as the all-time leading scorer for the Red Devils, but one must not forget what kind of person and player he was, and still currently is. The United way lives on through Wayne and, if it is to survive and United are to avoid a collapse similar to the likes of the once dominant Liverpool, he must pass this mentality and belief onto the next wave of superstars coming through. The question is whether they are ready to be what the club so desperately needs: The next Wayne Rooney.

Main Photo:

Main Photo Caption: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 02: Wayne Rooney of Manchester United applauds supporters after the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Stoke City at Old Trafford on February 2, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)