Has Van Gaal really triggered a Rooney renaissance?
“We don't speak any more about Wayne Rooney. You have criticised him, I don't.”
The context behind the last question which Louis van Gaal fielded at St James’ Park on Tuesday should not be forgotten in the farcical furore which followed after the Manchester United manager’s “fat man” jibe directed at a journalist.
Wayne Rooney’s recent upturn in form could not have been better timed. A fantastic winner against Swansea was followed by a coolly-taken injury-time penalty which saw off Sheffield United in the FA Cup. Only Paul Dummett’s late screamer for Newcastle in midweek denied Rooney a third winner in three successive games to begin 2016.
His four strikes so far in the calendar year tell only part of the story. One of football’s oldest sayings claims that ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ and the United captain has proved over the last three matches that there is more than a grain of truth in the oft-used cliche.
Rooney’s run of poor performances had lasted so long that many doubted his ability to ever bounce back. Now 30 and in his 14th Premier League season, he is at a stage of his career where far greater work is required to arrest a slump than might have been necessary previously. And after his elongated struggles of 2015, the England skipper was in desperate need of a pick-me-up.
Whether it was Van Gaal’s decision to leave him out of the starting line-up against Stoke City on Boxing Day, or simply something which clicked for him in that fixture against Swansea, Rooney has found his feet once more. United have been crying out for some inspiration from their most experienced player and he is finally beginning to deliver just that.
Given the eight-match winless run which preceded it, and the snipes at United’s style of play, they needed a leader to stand up and be counted. While it is true that Rooney went missing in earlier games when he might have otherwise turned around his side’s form, he has shown since the turn of the year that he still has the ability to drag United up by the boot straps.
Paul Scholes has been United’s most vocal critic in recent months, and his analysis of the team’s attacking against Sheffield United was particularly notable.
“It’s time for a change in football, in the style of football,” Scholes told
BT Sport. “Pass the ball to Wayne Rooney! I think we said he had 34 touches today in the whole game. This is Wayne Rooney!
“Get the ball to your best players, your Anthony Martials who can beat a man, your Wayne Rooneys, who’s one of the best centre forwards. You should get the ball to him but too often they’re not, they keep the ball and they’re happy with that 70 per cent of possession again and I truly believe [Van Gaal] will be happy with that performance.”
In training after that match, Van Gaal had United running through drills as ever, but placed greater emphasis on their attacking play. And on Tuesday their passing was quicker and their tempo was higher, especially in the opening 30 minutes. They sacrificed the majority of possession to Newcastle, but made more of the ball when they had it. Crucially, as demanded by Scholes, they got the ball to Rooney more often and reaped the rewards.
After his penalty opener he could well have grabbed a second when sliding a shot past the far post, but he kept on making the telling runs and, notably, he was being picked out in a way that United have not managed in some time. His assist for Jesse Lingard’s goal was delightful but his strike to put United 3-2 up was even better, sending a drilled effort sailing past Rob Elliott. This was much more like the Rooney we know.
Van Gaal has backed his skipper constantly when questioned about the No.10’s lack of form, and he will be more delighted than anyone that Rooney is beginning to show signs of his old self again. But on Sunday another vital game awaits against Liverpool at Anfield.
There’s a chance that the manager will be out of work if United lose, while for Rooney there is still no pain quite like being on the wrong end of a Liverpool victory. If his team-mates can show the urgency necessary to provide Rooney with greater ammunition once more, United have every chance of picking up the three points that would give Van Gaal some much-needed respite.
He might still be a long way short of vintage Wayne Rooney but he remains Manchester United’s most likely match-winner, and nobody recognises that more than his manager.
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