Wayne Rooney’s saga: Ferguson and Rooney at war
It has been a long time since Alex Ferguson has given Wayne Rooney a real chance to prove himself. Instead, the striker is sitting on the benches for most of the time, while he has been totally left out of the squad on some occasions as well.
Rooney joined Manchester United from Everton on a deal worth £27 million. However, in his early seasons, he was overshadowed by the performance of Cristiano Ronaldo, who established himself as the main goal scorer for his team. But, when Ronaldo left Manchester
for Real Madrid, Sir Alex Ferguson, United’s manager, wanted another player to step up and fill in the shoes of Ronaldo. Then, it was Rooney’s season as he scored a lot of goals for his team, in England and in Europe as well.
However, Rooney’s problems started in March, last season. The striker injured himself during a match against Bayern Munich, in the Champions League. After the ankle injury, Rooney was ruled out for the rest of the season, while he barely made a comeback
before the World Cup, to play in the English squad. But, the World Cup was a poor show by Rooney who failed to inspire a victory for his team, emerging goalless in the season.
Despite of these difficulties, Ferguson did not lose faith in his sharpshooter, as he gave him one chance after another. Similarly, he continued to play under Fabio Capello, the English coach, in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Soon, things started to look good
for Rooney, as he made some assists and scored a goal for England. At the same time, some allegations were raised in the media regarding the private life of the English striker, which had a dramatic effect on his performance.
In the beginning, Ferguson dropped Rooney from the match against Everton. In a cover-up story, Ferguson claimed that he was protecting his player as the match was played in a hostile environment, in Rooney’s previous club. At the same time, speculations
ran around that Ferguson is actually trying to punish his player and making an example out of him. In later weeks, this version of the story seemed more plausible than Ferguson’s own explanation.
Rooney remained on the benches, as Ferguson did not give him a chance to play. However, the manager stated that the striker is facing fitness problems due to his ankle issues. At the same time, the physiotherapist for English team contacted his Manchester
United counterpart. The purpose was to discuss the availability of Rooney for Euro qualifying round matches. At this point, it was revealed that Rooney has been taking part in all training sessions and is completing his training properly. So, the English physiotherapist
was given a green signal regarding the availability of the player.
As things were turning more dramatic, Rooney came out and spoke in his defence. He stated that he had not been facing any injury problems or fitness issues. On the other hand, he had been enthusiastically taking part in all the training sessions. So, Rooney
gave a hint that Ferguson is only making excuses, while the real reason remained hidden from the eyes of the press and the fans.
During the English qualifying campaign, Rooney played for the whole ninety minutes of a match. If there were any doubts, this was a clear indication that the striker is fit enough to play for Manchester United. But, once again, without giving any proper
reason, Rooney was put on the benches against West Bromwich Albion. Now, it is certain that Ferguson does not need Rooney any more, and he is going to get rid of him, as soon as possible. Once again, this idea was reiterated during the match, as Rooney was
not brought on when Giggs got injured. Again, when he did come on to the pitch, Ferguson played him as a winger, rather than a striker.
Maybe, it is time that Rooney should start looking at other options. He is still very young and there is a lot of football left in him. Also, Rooney is a player with a lot of qualities and many teams would be interested in hiring his services. If Rooney
does not make up his mind quick, it would put his England’s career in danger as well.
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