The forward has impressed when deployed in the middle and could embark upon a second stage of his career there

The decision to drop Wayne Rooney into midfield yields match-winning displays. This act was spied again on Sunday as he ran the show in Manchester United's 2-0 win over Stoke City from the central berth Sir Alex Ferguson fielded him in.

Rooney lined up alongside Michael Carrick and ended the contest with a higher total pass count of 81 to the 75 of the 31-year-old who is the manager's established midfield don. Seeing Rooney zipping around to find team-mates with a zest and vision that makes him a Paul Scholes with pace – as with the pass that led to Robin van Persie's converted penalty at the Britannia Stadium – has become familiar as Ferguson utilises his total football abilities to work the corridors between attack and defence.

In a 2-0 Champions League group game win over Otelul Galati in November 2011 Rooney was the stand-out performer as the Scot hailed his "great awareness" in the withdrawn role. He had also played there in the previous match when Everton were beaten 1-0 at Goodison Park, part of a reaction from Ferguson to the 6-1 derby drubbing from Manchester City a week earlier.

On Tyneside last October Rooney starred in a 3-0 victory over Newcastle United at the head of a diamond formation that allows Ferguson to harness his creative and attacking instincts to ruthless effect. After that game, Rooney tweeted: "Really enjoying my new midfield role, always involved."

Yet if positioning Rooney deeper harvests game-changing performances Ferguson is also conscious of his potency in attack. At 27 the blistering burst that terrified defences for England at Euro 2004 has been lost but his goalscoring returns have been consistently high. Sixteen strikes in 33 appearances for United in a season disrupted by injury and which has featured speculation about whose colours he may wear next term is still an impressive return.

Given these numbers it was a surprise to hear Ferguson say he played Rooney in midfield against Stoke to give him a "different role" to revive his confidence. The campaign has also featured Ferguson's intermittent references to the size of Rooney's frame and the need for him to keep on playing to maintain match fitness. As he ages and stamina wanes, this could prove the factor that eventually takes Rooney back from United's front to middle to embark on a "second career", just as Ryan Giggs was remodelled from flying winger to crafty schemer. As Ferguson says: "He has all the qualities you need to be a central midfield player."

For Rooney there are no doubts: "I feel I'm a good enough footballer to play anywhere on the park," he says. "That's not being big-headed. I feel I am capable of doing that. If the manager wants me to play there, I have no problem in doing that."

Yet after 197 goals for United in his natural-born scoring role, the Rooney option may be currently just a useful strategic one rather than a permanent solution to Ferguson's midfield conundrum.