Vain Rooney

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Wayne Rooney’s club career is at a crossroads despite the Manchester United striker’s dynamic performance in a goalless draw against Chelsea earlier this week. Even the Englishman’s staunchest supporters are getting tired of his hide-and-seek with the Red Devils. It appears that Rooney isn’t ready to force a move to Chelsea after realising that United wouldn’t sanction a transfer to an EPL club. But the damage had already been done. At 27, Rooney has plenty of football left in him but he is on his last legs at United.
All the United players are now parroting that Rooney is a much-loved figure at Old Trafford but the chorus is only a PR ploy. Fans are fickle and they don’t shower their affection on someone who has handed over transfer requests twice. Alex Ferguson would certainly have sold off Rooney had he still been in charge of United. The change in guard at Old Trafford has given a long rope to the forward. The new manager, David Moyes, feels he can extract something out of the player whom he blooded in the Premier League as Everton boss 11 years ago.
Rooney’s frustration stems from the fact that he is no longer the first choice striker for United. The arrival of Robin van Persie and the Dutchman’s subsequent spectacular show nudged Rooney closer to the exit door. Ferguson’s decision to keep the Englishman on the bench for the blockbuster return leg against Real Madrid in the Champions League pre-quarterfinals last season was the final nail. Selfishness and bloated ego characterise strikers in football and they don’t enjoy playing second fiddle in the prime of their careers. But managers pursue success like a businessman does money.
Rooney isn’t harbouring delusions of grandeur because he is the biggest talent to have emerged from England in the new millennium. The bulldog spirit is his USP and it’s also his worst enemy. He may have won trophies with United but his international career is sill an unfulfilled dream. Consistency has never been Rooney’s forte in any form of football. He can be lethal one day and lethargic the next day. He was a mere shadow of himself at the 2010 World Cup. A new adventure may not be a bad idea for Rooney at this stage of his career. Instead of handing over another transfer request near the end of the season, the stocky striker can pack his bags from Manchester now. His temperament isn’t suited to stay at one club for 10 years.