Poll: Is Wayne Rooney past it and should he be sold?

Is Rooney past it?

  • Total voters
    1,482
Rowem said:
If you only had today's game to go on and the last few games of this season you'd have to say yes, he looks complete shite, but we've seen this kind of thing from Rooney before and he has turned it around before. I would give him the benefit of the doubt again and expect him to come back next season looking sharper.

I do think he's no longer particularly well suited to play as lone striker. I have some sympathy for him because he's been moved around the pitch for his entire career, usually playing several different roles per season.

Keep him but bring a top class, specialist number 9. Let Rooney compete for his position with everyone else.
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That first paragraph sums Wayne up and why to me he isn't world class. The truly world class players are consistantly good. As you say he needs competition for his place, he has been given the captaincy and a guarantee of a starting berth. Another younger striker might make him buck his game up.
 
My god his first touch has regressed so much, I use to rate him as having one of the best 4/5 seasons ago.

With that being said his legs aren't completely gone and I still feel he's capable of being a #9, could we do better? Yes. But I feel replacing him would be a luxury signing at the moment as we've got other areas to address first, once we do that then we can start talking.
 
Yes, but I'll still keep him for now.

We simply can't afford to let go of our entire strike force and start from scratch. There has to be a bit of continuity and with Falcao and RVP leaving (in all likelihood), we will hopefully bring in a quality young and hungry striker who should bolster our forward line considerably. Wouldn't make sense to sell an established player who isn't absolutely top notch but is still a very good player, with no ideal replacements knocking about. There are barely any top class strikers on the market right now, if I'm not mistaken. Can't see us getting the likes of Benzema, Aguero, Lewandowski etc and we will just have to make do with Rooney for now. If we could get a top notch striker, then I wouldn't mind the sale of Rooney at all and would welcome it. Right now, it wouldn't be sensible and just a huge risk to just buy a promising yet inexperienced 22 year old striker and ask him to spearhead our attack, which is yet to gel together (unless there are some obvious choices that I'm missing).

Besides, there are very few clubs who will be able to match his high wages and most of them are well-stocked in the forward department. Unless he wants to go to Qatar or to the US, which doesn't make sense for him as he is just 29 (soon to be 30). We've just lost Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra and Giggs last year, in addition to Fletcher in January. Our team does need his experience and know-how for the moment imo.
 
He's clearly past his best without a doubt, but he's still a good player and has plenty to offer.

The problem we're facing now is how to manage him, we shouldn't be building a team around him anymore, we shouldn't drop a midfielder just to accommodate him anymore, he should be fighting for his position as a striker with whomever we're going to sign this summer, and he needs to accept that or leave.

Sadly i think van gaal will still do whatever it takes to accommodate rooney in his starting 11 regardless to form, but hopefully i'm wrong.
 
I think he can still get back to his best, he's only 29 and there's no reason to suggest he has dropped physically IMO. There have been a decent amount of performances that show he still has it, he just needs to get his consistency back and actually lock down a position.

Also, I think he'll thrive if we improve the quality of the squad this summer, especially in attacking areas. With Depay coming, we'll have a goalscoring threat from outwide and more pace and creativity so it will take some of the burden away from him, and he can have more of an impact on the game I think.
 
Rooney is captain which makes him undroppable in LVGs eyes. Also with Falcao not staying, RVP and Hernandez most likely leaving, this means its only him and Wilson. He will start over Wilson every time and be sage knowing he will get by. It takes him 4-5 games to get going and even then, its not what you would expect for somebody we rely on to get us goals.

Hes become so predictable when hes not in the box, shift it out of his feet and hit it out wide (mostly to the right wing). Thats his move all the time.
 
If a team offers £35m plus then we should consider it....and how old is he now?
 
The poll is a bit misleading IMO - I'd have thought many will agree that he's past it but will still want to keep him for whatever reasons. So the "No" option wouldn't necessarily mean people think he's still got it, but just that they don't want him sold.
 
I don't think Rooney is 'all that' and irreplaceable but come on, we've got loads of positions to upgrade first before we'd ever think of selling him.

In fact, bar De Gea (who we'll have to replace anyway) and Carrick, Rooney is probably the only player we have that is guaranteed a spot when fit!
 
DomesticTadpole said:
That first paragraph sums Wayne up and why to me he isn't world class. The truly world class players are consistantly good. As you say he needs competition for his place, he has been given the captaincy and a guarantee of a starting berth. Another younger striker might make him buck his game up.
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Yeah I think his mentality and fitness both let him down at times (although at other times his attitude is sublime), and this leads to his lack of consistency.

In his defense, I can't think of any other players who are/were in/close to that world class bracket who have been moved around as much as Rooney has. It must hinder his consistency.

He's also a bit unlucky that his best position as a second striker isn't a position that most clubs play anymore. I really hope he can find a consistent position for him that sees him perform to the level we know he can but I'm increasingly sceptical.
 
I wonder what peoples selling point would be with Rooney? 10m? 20m? 25m?
 
I'd sell him if only it was possible.

Only good enough for a squad role these days but he has the captaincy, star player status, a ridiculous wage and a questionable attitude towards playing a limited role in the team. Not sure how we would be able to sell him even if we wanted to as we'd either get a ridiculously small fee and/or have to heavily subsidise his wages at another club.

I think Fergie wanted him gone, not because he was shot (he got 19 goals and 21 assists last season), but because it was clear he was heading towards decline and it was the last chance to get any value out of a transfer. No elite club that watched Rooney this season would contemplate a move for him and no club outside that could ever afford him. We just have to find a way to live with him for now and hope other players can take up the slack.
 
It is true that he doesn't look the player of old, and that is a concern. Can't see him leaving with those ages he's got and the fact he's captain. I just hope that contract and captaincy doesn't mean that he's undroppable though. We need to get him some real quality opposition for his position. He's not had that in the last few years with RVP being injured or out of form a lot of the time.
 
facund said:
I'd sell him if only it was possible.

Only good enough for a squad role these days but he has the captaincy, star player status, a ridiculous wage and a questionable attitude towards playing a limited role in the team. Not sure how we would be able to sell him even if we wanted to as we'd either get a ridiculously small fee and/or have to heavily subsidise his wages at another club.

I think Fergie wanted him gone, not because he was shot (he got 19 goals and 21 assists last season), but because it was clear he was heading towards decline and it was the last chance to get any value out of a transfer. No elite club that watched Rooney this season would contemplate a move for him and no club outside that could ever afford him. We just have to find a way to live with him for now and hope other players can take up the slack.
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I agree with this and I think Ferguson made it very easy for Moyes to pull the trigger if he had just had the balls. I'd let him go this summer if we got in a top striker.
 
Not good enough to be a regular for us anymore. In an ideal World I'd keep him around as he's a versatile and still very good player but with his wages and profile I don't see that being possible so I think we should move him on.
 
I voted yes and sell. He isn't world class in any of his positions and that is what we are now looking for. I hate the fact he has the captaincy and by proxy a starting spot guaranteed, it worries me as I really don't think he is that good.

He is still capable of stellar moments, but there so few and far between now it's not worth it.

It's also worth noting that when he isn't in form he is terrible. I've not seen a player that gets that below there best when not on it.
 
SirAF said:
I agree with this and I think Ferguson made it very easy for Moyes to pull the trigger if he had just had the balls. I'd let him go this summer if we got in a top striker.
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Moyes bottled it but did manage to get a good season out of him as a result, if he had sold Rooney to Chelsea and then taken us to seventh I don't think he'd have made it out of Manchester.

Who would realistically consider taking Rooney at this moment in time considering his wage?
 
He still has a role to play, but he definitely shouldn't be undroppable like he is now.
 
We need a talisman-type of player and right now Rooney is the best we have in that role. It is no coincidence that he is the captain.
We need him.
 
I voted to sell him, but realistically, who's gonna want him, on his wages? I have more of an issue with him being captain and therefore a mainstay in the first team.
 
Whatever our opinion may be, he's just not going anywhere. That contract.

All things considered he'll always be a reasonably good player, but he's not a first rate worldie. He knocked on the door of that level a few years ago but he never got there and he's not going to get there.

We are in desperate need of a striker who has the potential to hit his peak form for us at that 25 goal a season level as a minimum. The RVP and Falcao moves were great at the time, and thankfully we managed a decent season out of RVP. Generally speaking this reliance of 28+ forwards who have appeared to be more over the hill rather than on top of it has been a concern.

I thought he had a reasonably good season last year, and as I don't expect him to go I hope he can find a few more goals for us next season...but I do believe having him as one of our main players is what will keep us at tha 3rd or 4th level until LVG eventually retires (can't see him working after this).
 
Sylar said:
Rooney is captain which makes him undroppable in LVGs eyes. Also with Falcao not staying, RVP and Hernandez most likely leaving, this means its only him and Wilson. He will start over Wilson every time and be sage knowing he will get by. It takes him 4-5 games to get going and even then, its not what you would expect for somebody we rely on to get us goals.

Hes become so predictable when hes not in the box, shift it out of his feet and hit it out wide (mostly to the right wing). Thats his move all the time.
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He was given the captaincy because there were no other viable candidates. That won't be the case this time next year. Expect it will be then that his place comes under a very serious threat.
 
Past his best? Perhaps. Doesn't really look at sharp as he was two three seasons ago. However even a declined Rooney would be better than most strikers. So I wouldn't replace him unless we get a top striker.
Should be sold? Considering that he's been our best player in terms of goals in the past two seasons getting rid of Rooney would be daft. At this point he should be the least of our worries.
 
Keeps It tidy said:
Well it is pure conjecture. We really do not know if Ferguson wanted him gone.
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Ferguson coming out at the end of the season and saying that Rooney wanted to leave was clear evidence that Ferguson wanted him gone imo. He'd never, in a million years, have said something like that if he wanted a player to stay.

Having said that, it is conjecture (as the vast majority of everything said on this forum).
 
Assuming De Gea leaves and we play the same formation, how I'd rank our starters/players fighting to start for 2015:

Tier 1) I have Herrera, Di Maria/Mata, Memphis, Shaw and Smalling as 5 starters we can count on, or in Memphis' case, need to get playing time because the potential and need are so great.
Tier 2) Rooney
Tier 3) Carrick/Blind, Jones/Rojo
Tier 4) Valencia, Fellaini and Valdes

So, if we can sign a RB, GK and CM then I think there's a good debate to be had over whether we next need a centre back, a striker or a DM, but I'd probably back Rooney over a season to score 25 in all comps as a 9 up front than I would Blind/Carrick to be up to it/stay healthy and Jones/Rojo to stay healthy and not destabilize the defense with the occasional madness they display, though Blind and Jones have age and decent seasons just past on their side of the ledger.

But if Van Persie and Chicharito both leave, we need a 9 anyways. So, I guess I would say that we should sign whoever we think is the next great number 9, even if they need a year or two to backup Rooney first. If he flops, young players can be resold well (see all Chelsea moves) and Rooney will still be here next year and maybe Wilson will have a great year on loan or as a 3rd striker for us to round out the force.

The alternative is to sign a player who can play as a 9 or out wide like Muller, Lacazette (just went to PSG?), Ronaldo or Bale. That would be best. Get a star who can replace Rooney if he has deteriorated and if not, be a goalscorer on the right opposite Memphis, with one of Mata or Di Maria playing as a 10 or sold and the other getting more than enough games with rotation, injuries and the CL.
 
Mciahel Goodman said:
Ferguson coming out at the end of the season and saying that Rooney wanted to leave was clear evidence that Ferguson wanted him gone imo. He'd never, in a million years, have said something like that if he wanted a player to stay.
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He said Rooney wanted to leave in a press conference in 2010. Remember how that ended up being resolved?
 
Nate Dogg said:
If a team offers £35m plus then we should consider it....and how old is he now?
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Who'd offer that kind of money (considering the wage packet they'd also have to provide him)? I think we'd get £20m max.
 
Keeps It tidy said:
He said Rooney wanted to leave in a press conference in 2010. Remember how that ended up being resolved?
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That was precipitated by Rooney declaring he wanted to leave a day before that press conference (which happened to be an important CL fixture). Ferguson had to address it, in 2013, it was Ferguson who initiated it. That's the difference.
 
He's still a good player and can contribute a lot to the team but he shouldn't be relied upon as the number one guy in any position unless he gets back to his 2008-2012 form. For some reason physically he's deteriorated a lot in the past 4 years. This is the period when most players reach their peak and for Rooney it was the other way around. His peak was when he was 25-26 and his physical condition has been slowly getting worse since then.
 
Yes he is but we can't sell him as we won't get a better striker in.

@Pexbo got it spot on. Get strikers in, let the best one play. If that's Rooney, play him. If the incoming player turns out better, Rooney should be benched. We should start planning ahead anyways though. What I mean is getting a vietto or a dybala or a kane, upcoming top strikers. I know dybala is gone, just using him to explain the next lot of upcoming top strikers.
 
Mciahel Goodman said:
That was precipitated by Rooney declaring he wanted to leave a day before that press conference (which happened to be an important CL fixture). Ferguson had to address it, in 2013, it was Ferguson who initiated it. That's the difference.
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He sort of had to address it in 2013. There was a lot of stories floating around about Rooney the days before Ferguson said Rooney wanted to leave.
 
Who would buy him any way? We possibly would refuse to sell to rival clubs (Chelsea, MC) He's on high wage, , clearly not good enough for Barca/Real Madrid and I doubt that he would want to go to French League.
 
BW.k said:
Past his best? Perhaps. Doesn't really look at sharp as he was two three seasons ago. However even a declined Rooney would be better than most strikers. So I wouldn't replace him unless we get a top striker.
Should be sold? Considering that he's been our best player in terms of goals in the past two seasons getting rid of Rooney would be daft. At this point he should be the least of our worries.
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His goal output hasn't been that great though in all honesty, 33 goals in two years and it's our lowest league total as a team for a decade. He's only just ahead of RvP who's had a lot less minutes. Our other strikers haven't been great either of course, but the problem with Rooney is that he's 29 and won't accept anything less than a starting role whereas someone like van Persie might be content with starting 20 games a season and coming off the bench now he's almost 32.
 
I don't actually think he's past it. Playing someone in multiple positions from one game to the next is not ideal for any player. He needs service in order the score goals. I watched the interview with him and Gary Neville recently and it was interesting to hear what Van Gaal had said to him about his role. He wanted Rooney to touch the ball less and rely on the other players to supply him more. Unfortunately Falcao had a bad season but was still deployed at #9 ahead of Rooney multiple times, as was RVP. Van Gaal admitted that he had to play Rooney in multiple positions due to injuries.

One of the problems is that he drops too feel at times when its not needed and we ended up having no target man. I think he will be working on his positioning in pre season in order to regain his sharpness and ruthlessness infront of goal. I do however feel that we will buy a quality adition to challenge him. I also do not feel he will be undroppable next year, if his form suffers then he will be benched. Maybe similar to the was Van Gaal dictates penalty duties. (you mess up, back of the que).

He's got to take his chances this year that much is crystal clear and genualy do think we will see a more ruthless and sharper improved Rooney next season.
 
Amethyst said:
His goal output hasn't been that great though in all honesty, 33 goals in two years and it's our lowest league total as a team for a decade. He's only just ahead of RvP who's had a lot less minutes. Our other strikers haven't been great either of course, but the problem with Rooney is that he's 29 and won't accept anything less than a starting role whereas someone like van Persie might be content with starting 20 games a season and coming off the bench now he's almost 32.
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Our problem is that we rarely create chances for fun these days. So anyone not named Messi , Aguero or Suarez would struggle to score goals regularly. We need to find the perfect balance for our midfield first before worrying about strikers.
 
fallengt said:
Who would buy him any way? We possibly would refuse to sell to rival clubs (Chelsea, MC) He's on high wage, , clearly not good enough for Barca/Real Madrid and I doubt that he would want to go to French League.
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He could join Fat Frank in the burger bars of NYC.
 
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