LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 13: Wayne Rooney of Manchester United talks to Louis van Gaal, manager of Manchester United during The Emirates FA Cup, sixth round replay between West Ham United and Manchester United at the Boleyn Ground on April 13, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
Manchester United: Where to place Wayne Rooney?
The Manchester United captain had a short cameo against West Ham coming off the bench. As he reaches full fitness, what will be his role?
Manchester United fans had reasons to smile again after their team reached the FA Cup semifinals with a stunning strike from Marcus Rashford on Wednesday against West Ham.
Those weren’t the only good news as United and England captain Wayne Rooney finally returned for the first time since Feb. 13 after nursing a knee injury. The 30-year-old’s short appearance, which lasted only a couple of minutes after he replaced Rashford in the dying moments of the game, didn’t answer many questions about his recovery or his role.
As Rooney makes his way back to full fitness, one main question remains: Where will he play?
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Before Rashford’s spectacular goal at Upton Park, many believed it was time for the youngster to take a breather, including United legend Peter Schmeichel, who said the 18-year-old “needs to be eased into the game.”
“He is doing well at the moment, but playing every game can ruin him. It doesn’t have to be much wrong to set him back a long, long time,” the former Manchester United goalkeeper said during an interview with Sky Sports earlier this month.
With Rooney coming back into the fray, it would have made sense for the rising star to take a place in the bench and let the legend take over once again.
It made sense until Wednesday.
Rashford is certainly working as a focal point of attack as he keeps bailing out Louis van Gaal, who despite roasting the young striker probably realizes his team has been more exciting since Rashford teamed up with Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard up front.
So, where does that leave Rooney?
He could take the No. 10 spot and Lingard could be the one heading to the bench. Still, just like with Rashford or Martial, van Gaal could be taking away precious energy and replacing it with a player who hasn’t seen too many minutes this year.
And so, there is another option. One that Schmeichel also touched upon in his conversation with Sky Sports.
“Wayne can play in different positions. If you ask him, he wants to play in the No. 10 position, but I’d like to see Wayne develop into a midfield player because he can play a little bit like Paul Scholes did. I am sure he can develop the engine to play in midfield,” said the United legend.
Schmeichel is not the only one who can visualize Rooney in a deeper position. Last year, Barcelona legend Xavi suggested that Rooney should adapt to a midfield position if he wants to prolong his career at Manchester United.
“Personally I think Rooney still has much to offer, but maybe it’s time for him to adapt,” Xavi said last October. “You get to an age and you can’t play the game you once used to, you can’t cover the ground you used to.”
At 30, Rooney still has plenty to offer, but with an approaching Euro tournament and forwards like Harry Kane and Jaime Vardy hunting for a starting spot for England, it could be the right time for the United skipper to rethink his role.
