Wayne Rooney's fate in Man. United

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has seen his role within the squad change gradually over the seasons, with the player recognising his pace is declining, and focusing his attention on other attributes. The summer arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Old Trafford, as well as the emergence of Marcus Rashford, have forced Rooney to feature further back on the pitch than previous years, though what type of player can we expect the England star to be next season?

The 30-year-old struggled as part of a disorganised midfield orchestrated by Roy Hodgson at the European Championships, offering little idea of how the line-up will look at United. Nonetheless, Rooney’s physical and technical attributes can offer some suggestion as to what contribution he can make for the Red Devils.
It has been noted for some time that Rooney’s speed has been diminishing, no longer quite as explosive as during his teenage years. Although much of his strength and physicality remains, it’s unlikely that the United captain will feature in a similar role that of Frank Lampard at Chelsea, making incisive runs through the defence and reaching high-scoring totals. Similarly, Rooney will probably not be deployed as a number 10, supporting the lone striker as a playmaker like Eden Hazard. The Red Devils already have enough squad members in that role, with Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan among options much more comfortable there.
Indeed, Rooney’s strengths lie in the ability to read the game, dictate the tempo of the match, and switch play across the pitch with long-range passes. As the captain for club and country, he would be better positioned to issue orders in a central-midfield ‘enforcer’ role akin to former teammate Paul Scholes. There will be fewer goals and assists registered next to Rooney’s name, but would allow the player to remain important and effective, and United need some stability during the continued transition phase at the club