Manchester United supporters demand answers over Wayne Rooney
Monday’s announcement that Wayne Rooney will be left out of the Manchester United squad to face Valencia this week was yet another tell-tale sign that all is not well with the under-pressure striker.
The England international was substituted in the Red Devils’ 2-2 draw with Bolton at the weekend after only an hour and went off to the stands with an ice pack strapped to his ankle.
However, doubts persist over whether this was the real reason for Rooney’s withdrawal at the Reebok Stadium, while concerns linger over the truth behind his omission from United’s Champions League squad.
Despite the club issuing a statement with a clear message saying that Rooney will miss Wednesday night’s match at the Mestalla due to the ankle injury, question marks continue to hover over the Manchester United No. 10’s current state of mind.
Lurid newspaper allegations have certainly not helped matters. Sir Alex Ferguson admitted last week that Rooney was struggling to cope under the intense media glare placed upon him this season – and that much has been obvious for anyone who has witnessed his below-par performances from the past month.
Although the United boss claimed that Rooney’s poor displays were not down to a lack of confidence, the 24-year-old hasn’t been playing with the same fire in his belly which has made him the revered name he is today.
Earlier this month Rooney was left out of the United squad to face his former club Everton at Goodison Park, with Ferguson on that occasion citing the “terrible abuse” he receives by the Toffees’ supporters as the reason for not deploying his prized asset.
But this had never been an issue for the fiery United striker in the past. He’s always relished facing his former club in front of a home crowd baying for blood, and has certainly never appeared intimidated by an atmosphere inside a football stadium.
It’s on the pitch where Rooney, like many other footballers, feels most comfortable. And Ferguson’s decision to leave Rooney out of the Everton match, which came just days after the Sunday Mirror published those headlines, smacked of one based solely on his current fragile state of mind.
In the matches where Rooney has not featured for Red Devils this season, the club have dropped vital points. Because of this, and following his most prolific-ever campaign at Old Trafford, it’s understandable that the United faithful now want proper answers about the real reasons behind Rooney’s recent omissions.
If the striker is mentally unfit to take to the pitch, then surely it would be beneficial to the player and club if he was left out of the squad until matters have been resolved, instead of playing him one week and then leaving him out the next.
Instead, the club’s supporters are left to travel to Valencia knowing that the task to beat the Primera Liga table-toppers has suddenly become a whole lot tougher without the services of their star striker.
Defeat in Spain would leave Valencia sitting comfortably on top of Group C, and United left with a challenge to qualify for second place.
Tags: