United manager Mourinho singled out left-back Luke Shaw for criticism after the club’s 3-1 defeat at Watford on Sunday, which was their third defeat in a row in all competitions.
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In news that may come as a surprise to those of us who had kind of forgotten that Mikel John Obi is still at Chelsea, Mikel John Obi has announced his intention to dance lasciviously for potential new suitors in January if Chelsea don’t offer him a new deal.
A knock-on effect of Mourinho’s deployment of Rooney as a number 10 is that several of his team-mates have been prevented from playing in their preferred positions. Although the United squad acknowledge that considerable improvements are needed, they reportedly fear that Mourinho’s attitude towards his players is hindering, not helping, that process.
Parker told Eurosport: “After 16 years as a manager, he still hasn’t learnt to lose with dignity – shifting the blame for everything on to referees and his players”. The game passed Rooney by.
Football can be unforgiving.
Yorke said: “When you play with the calibre of players I played with, you talk about creativity within the midfield, people who can pass the ball forward, and I think that is something they are lacking”.
But too often these days he appears to be chasing shadows.
United had initially feared that Shaw, who is only six games into his comeback from a serious knee injury that kept him out of action for nearly a year, could miss up to three weeks with his latest ailment but it appears that he could be in contention to return against champions Leicester City on Saturday.
Long rant short, Rooney shouldn’t be in the side ever again. He retained the captaincy for three reasons: he has been a good ambassador since taking the armband, there were a lack of alternatives and, perhaps most importantly, it would have been a bigger decision not to keep him as captain.
Allardyce has enough to worry about proving himself without stirring up unhelpful drama.
United are without question better with Pogba in the team, especially compared to last season when they were under the reign of Louis van Gaal.
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Never quite a true number nine, but not a classic number 10 either, Rooney was deployed in central midfield by Roy Hodgson during England’s calamitous Euro 2016 campaign.
