Rooney hasn't been a top player for a while, but I think the criticism he gets is disproportionate at this point. Man Utd played without him vs Feyenord, a fairly ordinary side, and yet, looked quite poor. He has to be benched, because Man Utd have better players. But some seem to think he is the sole reason behind all problems of Man Utd. Not true at all.
It is funny though, his buddies in the media keep defending him. The likes of Neville brothers, Scholes, when they are asked about Rooney, they do 0 "analysis", they just say "he obviously has to play" and move on