What really is behind Rooneys alleged dis-satisfaction?
WHO WAS that guy who wore the number 10 shirt for United in the last third of the 12/13 season?
AND WHO WAS that guy who went anonymous for long periods in the last couple of games of the season?
It looked like him, but heres the puzzle, it didn’t act like him.
This was the guy who found the roof of the net from 25 yards against Norwich at Old Trafford.
This was also the guy that lofted that sublime through ball right into Van Persies gangway for THAT volley against Villa. That was the night the championship was sealed.
It was Wayne Rooney all right, not some cloned impostor with half of his skill, and none of his desire that we, as fans, have to come to love and expect of him. Lets call a spade a spade. Rooneys body language & general lethargy ever since the second leg against Madrid has been concerning. Firstly, those snippets of skill & ability mentioned above positively identify him as such. Secondly, the lack of heart and enthusiasm was the puzzling part for us. We have never had to equate those words with Rooney before. “Lack of”. This is the guy who has been immense for United since he joined the club. This is the guy who busted his guts getting from box to box just to have a sniff of a cross.
Ok, we saw a brief pocket of dissention in 2010 when he questioned if the clubs ambition matched his own desire for success but that was driven by a desire to improve, even if it was a little impatient. Since then we’ve seen his application to Uniteds cause, and inevitably, he’s been a cause of Uniteds domestic success. Apart from that Blue blip in 2011/12. Before that he had been responsible for holding them at arms length (ahem...with that bicycle kick that had us salivating and drooling, and pressing the rewind button repeatedly!). We thought then that Rooney was going to spearhead the backlash against the blue insurgents, a situation perfectly designed for such a warrior and his battling qualities, and of course his actions which are so often tinged with brilliance. We waited, and held our breaths for the main man to re-enter the arena.
THATS NOT THE WAY IT TURNED OUT THOUGH. He turned in a good season, chipping in with a notable goals contribution and an impressive assists tally. One couldn’t help but feel though that, in terms of impact, he was playing second fiddle to a certain Mr. Van Persie. Van Persie’s finishing, timing and composure in the dying minutes of pressure cooker occasions (which was almost every week) was eclipsing Rooney. WEEK AFTER WEEK THE NEW WARRIOR IN TOWN WAS SWINGING BATTLES IN UNITEDS FAVOUR WHEN ALL SEEMED LOST. Rooney, all this time, was residing in the towering shadow of RVP. Thats all great when United are flogging in goals and settling into Championship winning groove, and we the fans are beside ourselves with delight. Languishing in shadows is not Wayne Rooney’s natural habitat. This man see’s himself as top of the food chain, natures perennial predator who poaches his prey, toys with them when he pleases, and puts them to the sword when he has tired of the novelty. Naturally he is going to feel a little irked and disgruntled when another man assumes the mantle of leading forays into enemy territory. This sense of disillusionment manifested itself in asking Alex if a transfer was the best option for him. We all speculated as to the cause, “it was the Madrid match...it was this... it was that”, all the while we expected Wayne to respond and show us exactly what the pecking order should be in this kingdom. That never happened. He retreated further into the shadows. His body language was reserved, his celebrations were muted and the joy of Battle and Winning had left his face.
It culminated in what we are experiencing now. We don’t know if Wayne want’s to be in our gang anymore. We were hoping he would come out and say as much, but he hasn’t committed in the midst of all this speculation. Maybe he just wants to be loved and reassured of his place, even in the shadow of RVP. Maybe he wants to try being Top Dog elsewhere.
In any case would the REAL Wayne Rooney please stand up!