The Wayne Rooney Thread Part IV

How wonderful [emoji36]

 

My view is almost "who cares?" at this juncture. Jose pretty got that situation handled last season when he clearly established Rooney's place in the team and hardly deviated from that stance, no matter what. And nothing is likely to change there.
The ideal situation still calls for United to pay off the remainder of his contract, thus making a clean break and allowing him to do what he wants, but ultimately, if he wants to see out his contract at the club, accepting of his role, then so be it. Anything he could provide would be gravy...

 

The problem with that scenario is :

1. The huge amount we spend on him.

2 If only he was atleast a little bit in form he could be used as a 3rd striker of sorts which is not currently possible.

 

The problem with his salary is of Woodward's own making. It is what it is and that's why United as far as they are concerned, have the choice to either suck it up and pay Rooney off the remainder of his contract, so he can leave. Or if they're not ready to do that, then accept if he sticks around to get his money.
And hopefully, pride and the desire to finish on a higher note will push him to be ready and in form this coming season. But there's hardly a "problem" from my point of view because Jose has handled Rooney as good as one could expect in my opinion. And there's no reason that will change this season.

 

Fact that he is there at the start of the season means he will be used. That is a spot that could be used t o develop a young talent. That is a problem.

 

Jose will not use him just for the sake of doing so: I think he's made that perfectly clear this past season. And I'm sure that if he's in the team during preseason, Jose will observe and evaluate him, just like everyone else. And if he's got something to contribute, he'll use him, but he will not be compelled to shoehorn him in the team (even in a reserve role) if he feels otherwise.
So while the ideal situation would call for Rooney to be gone, the way Jose played with him last season, he's far less of an albatross hanging around the team's neck and seemingly dragging it down...

 

In foresight, and now in hindsight, it's very safe to say that we should have sold Rooney when we had the chance to do so when Chelsea offered 30m for him.

 

This is true. For Andreas for example.

 

It could be, to a certain extent but in truth, Pereira also operates in different and more positions than Rooney. And in reality is, considering all factors, it still would be a surprise to see Rooney (especially at the same level as last season) getting more playing time than Pereira.
One player is on the ascendency and on his way up, while the other is clearly going the other way. Jose has really not shown Rooney any special treatment or consideration and there's no reason that will change, unless Rooney actually deserves it...

 

I want him gone primarily so we don't have to watch him come on late in games when we're chasing a goal. It's worse than throwing on Fellaini to protect a lead.

 

More and more I'm thinking this albatross is still going to be around our neck come next season. If Everton won't take him no one will, because I don't think he'll go to China. I really wish the club would pay up his contract but I don't see it.

 

I go back and forth on the concept of buying out WR10's contract. If the same total sum will be paid to the man either way, maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to have him hang around as a fourth or fifth option. Or maybe, against all expectations, he finds something resembling form. Or he rots in humiliation.

On the other hand, perhaps he become a disruptive force on the roster. We saw no evidence of that last season but there's a risk that if United make a serious run either the EPL or the CL that Rooney's presence could become a disruptive force.

 

With his United future still up in the air, Rooney is back at work in Carrington.

www.espnfc.com/manchester-united/story/3145764/wayne-rooney-already-training-ahead-of-manchester-united-preseason-reports

 

Many of us here were arguing just that and we're happy that Ferguson effectively put his head on the chopping board in his closing Old Trafford speech. Moyes going off reservation was not expected and has saddled us ever since.

Even if you used to highly rate Rooney (as I did) the fact remains he has not produced of late and his body has a lot of mileage on it.

He is done here and if he stays he needs to be sidelined for the sake of the team.

 

SAF always said Rooney needed to play regularly to keep both physically fit and match fit.

If he were to play regularly he may recover some small part of what he used to have, but problem is with us he will not (and should not) get enough games.

The slow, ponderous, awkward, timid, goal-shy player he has become as a bit-part player is more hinderance than help.

I was (and still am) a big fan of what he was, but what he was was based on energy, desire, deceptive speed and work-rate and don't think can recover enough of that in the irregular games he will get with us.

 

My assessment of Rooney over the years is somewhat complicated. When he was teenager phenom, I viewed him as a potential all-worlder. Probably like most here. But after his first or second season I became disappointed with him in the sense that while he was great, he never reached his potential. But he continued to plug away, often accepting his role as second fiddle to better players. We collected trophies, so there wasn't much not to love about his service to the club even if it was evident something kept holding him back from reaching his potential.

But by the time we faced Real Madrid at Old Trafford in Ferguson's last season, Ferguson absolutely made the right call in not starting Rooney. I suspect many here on BS agreed. Talk of transfer was in the air just as Ferguson made the decision to retire. Then Moyes stepped in we know the rest of the story. It was a perfect storm of incompetence and absence of backbone by Moyes and Woody to agree to the demands of a player who was virtually done, a calamity whose consequences are still felt by the club to this day. This, and nothing else in truth, is why do many United supporters have turned sour on Rooney.

So, do we write Wayne a check for his season's wages and see him off or do we pay him his weekly wage while he trains at Carrington and presumably the oddball appearance in competition? It's a close call.

 

By in large, I feel the same way. I used to be a fan of the old Rooney (pretty much until 2011/12 or so): his aggression, drive (and even his anger) were awesome back in the day. He really fell off real quick and props to SAF and the fans who saw it coming: I guess give the high mileage and the fact that he was not as dsciplined as others, it was entirely predictable after all.
The player he has become has no place at the club, especially now that he's got the goalscoring record. Given Jose's just about perfect hańdling of him last season, it's hard not to see why he'd stick around much longer, except perhaps for the money. Which is why my preferred solution still involves the club paying off the last year of his contract, thus allowing him to leave and do as he please.
The club just pretty much did the same for Schweini and while it's not necessarily the best solution, it's definitely the "cleanest" from my point of view. While maybe not enthused with him staying, I won't be overly worried about it though, simply bc as noted, Jose obviously has him handlled, in regards to his place on the team.

 

If nobody is willing to pay for him before the end of the window, we should just buy out the rest of his contract and release him. He offers nothing to the team other than a wasted sub and a drain on wages. His presence in the dressing rooms needs to be eliminated. The players say he's been a positive influence so far, but wait until he's on the bench for another full season knowing full well the club wanted him gone in the summer. His attitude will change and will be a negative influence.

 

I'm not so sure Rooney would be a negative influence within the squad. He's being paid a king's ransom and enjoying the perks associated with being a United man. For all his faults, he actually handled himself quite well despite the humiliation of his demotion.

This is no argument to keep him, but it is argument against the urgency of getting rid of him at the expense of buying out his contract in one massive payment.

 

How much is left on his contract?

 

He's got a year left.

 

Plus there is a mutual option on a second, not that the club will likely use it, but is why sometimes reported he has 2 years remaining / a contract to mid-2019.

 

I agree but I think part of that is due to Jose and Rooney finally getting a grip on reality that he isn't the player he used to be. He was dropped from the starting lineup, the media pulled off the blinders and started saying he wasn't as good as he was, and the national team started favoring other players. I think it finally started to sink in. And going up against Jose isn't a good idea. Hes got no problem going into full attack mode on a player.

The only reason I say this is because Rooney was one of the rumored players to create the dressing room problems with LvG....but tbf I can understand that.