Wayne Rooney Can Shine In Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s Absence

Wayne Rooney leaving Manchester United for a transfer to China last month always seemed like the wrong move at the wrong time, if only for the fact that the 31-year-old has unfinished business at the club.

Rooney did not want to disappear through the back door after almost 13 years at Old Trafford, while manager Jose Mourinho knew that, at some point between the closure of the Chinese transfer window on Feb. 28 and the end of the season, he would need to turn to the United and England captain.

Every statistic points to Rooney being a fading force at United — his goals, appearances and match-winning contributions have all sharply declined this season. He has only completed three Premier League games, and none since the 3-1 defeat at Watford on Sept. 18. While, since the turn of the year, he has only played 90 minutes on two occasions: in the FA Cup victories against Reading and Wigan Athletic.

But the injury-time equaliser against Stoke City in January, which took him beyond Sir Bobby Charlton as the club’s all-time leading goal scorer on 250, emphasised that he retains the ability to make a difference when it matters. It showed that he can still deliver for Mourinho’s team and also that he continues to possess the ability to claim the spotlight — a rare talent.

There is also Rooney’s standing in the Premier League assists table, where his five goal-making contributions in the league are the best return of any United player this season.

The wheels are clearly turning more slowly for Rooney than they did in the past, but he is still able to muster something tangible to provide value to Mourinho’s team between now and the end of the campaign. Rejecting the millions on offer in China was the right decision for all concerned because it gave Rooney the opportunity to go out on a high and as a winner. There may just be one final chapter to come in Rooney’s Manchester United story and Monday’s trip to Chelsea in the FA Cup quarterfinal offers the perfect starting point.

Mourinho was always wary of Rooney leaving last month because of the prospect of the 35-year-old Zlatan Ibrahimovic being cut down by injury or suspension and, following the Swede’s three-match suspension for elbowing Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings, that moment has arrived.

Rooney’s omission from the travelling party for Thursday’s 1-1 Europa League draw against FC Rostov in Russia has enabled him to spend the week working on his fitness at United’s Carrington training base and also avoid the draining effects of a 4,500-mile round trip.

He has been given the perfect preparation for the encounter with the Premier League leaders, but can he provide the attacking focal point that Mourinho requires at Stamford Bridge or is Rooney now only able to deliver in short bursts?

Mourinho signed Ibrahimovic last summer because he believed that Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial were too young and inexperienced to lead the line for United and that Rooney lacked the reliability to be fit and available for the whole season.

The numbers have backed up Mourinho’s opinion, with Ibrahimovic topping United’s appearance charts with 40 in all competitions. The Swede is also the club’s leading scorer by some distance, netting 26 in all competitions — 17 more than his closest rival, Juan Mata, who has nine.

Rooney, Martial and Rashford have scored just 19 between them from a combined 94 appearances, so United’s heavy reliance on Ibrahimovic is clear. But Ibrahimovic’s presence, however impressive, has also sucked opportunities away from Rooney, Martial and Rashford and denied them the chance to improve on their disappointing goal output.

For the next three domestic games, against Chelsea in the cup and then Middlesbrough and West Bromwich Albion in the league, Mourinho will have to find another way to goal. And the options available point to a variety of approaches.

Rooney could be asked to play in the Ibrahimovic role at Chelsea, with Martial and Rashford providing pace down both flanks. With the physical presence of David Luiz and Gary Cahill an issue against the Blues, Rooney’s ability to deal with that would free up his young team-mates to target the home side’s wing-backs, Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso.

Rooney could also be deployed in the No.10 role behind Rashford or Martial, but that would potentially impact Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Mata, who have been impressive in that position, so a more advanced role is most likely for the England man.

One thing that has become evident when they have played together is that Rooney and Ibrahimovic are too slow to be an effective combination, though Mourinho does not have to concern himself with that against Chelsea. Rooney has lost the explosive pace of his youth, but Martial and Rashford can compensate for that and enable him to be an effective No. 9 against Chelsea.

It may be a thankless task for Rooney to play in that position, knowing that he will be expected to soak up the challenges of Luiz, Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta simply to create space for Martial and Rashford, but his team ethic has never been in doubt.

Rooney’s determination to play a part and end his United on a high was highlighted by his celebration, as an unused substitute, when Ibrahimovic scored the late winner in the EFL Cup final victory over Southampton.

Rooney’s time at United appears to be drawing to a close, with a summer departure now seemingly inevitable, but he will have the chance to make at least one more vital contribution. The next three games will offer him an opportunity and Monday’s challenge against the Premier League winners-elect is as good a time to start as any.