Manchester United Probably Need To Drop Wayne Rooney

There were rather obvious lessons to be learnt from Arsenal’s early obliteration of Manchester United at the Emirates.

Lessons such as: don’t start both Michael Carrick and Bastain Schweinsteiger against a much sprightlier and agile midfield. Certainly don’t ask them to press high up the field. And it’s always best to get the opening 20 minutes out of the way before then becoming more offensive.

But, there was another issue that once again reared its ugly head during the encounter. One which Manchester United fans have been dilly-dallying over and discussing for the last two months: Is Wayne Rooney broken?

As Wayne Rooney’s slow start turned into a fully blown goal drought his biggest supporters have been trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Their comebacks to the naysayers have become more and more strained as the weeks have gone on though. The stock response of, ‘He only needs one goal,’ has been replaced by different formation and positional suggestions, each of which, they’d insist, would prove to be the catalyst for his lost form.

It also helped Wayne Rooney that his woeful streak came at a time when Manchester United had a relatively easy stretch of games. There was no need to worry because United were still winning. Then, when United hit the top of the table, fans embraced the opportunity to rejoice rather than contemplating the decay of their former talisman.

But against Arsenal there was nowhere to hide. This was supposed to be the game when Manchester United proved they were genuine title challengers, while at the same time stamping down on any ambitions Arsenal had of their own. Instead, United were overrun, and when they needed their captain, their leader, the Wayne Rooney of old, they simply got a passenger.

Suddenly the little moments that had led people to suggest Rooney was passed it were now being amplified. Sure he wasn’t at fault for any of the goals, but it was his response to the deficit that was most damning.

He failed to take the game by the scruff of the neck, couldn’t build up passing combos with his fellow attackers, struggled to even remotely look threatening in the opposition’s box, and even embarrassingly ended the game out of position, out on the left. It was almost as if United just didn’t know what to do with him anymore.

Unfortunately for Wayne Rooney, his performance was that inept that Manchester United now seriously need to consider dropping him. He’s had a string of games to prove his worth, but with tough, important games coming up, which include Everton (away), CSKA Moscow (away), Manchester City (home) and Crystal Palace (away), there’s simply no room for someone not to be pulling their weight.

Especially when, with Ander Herrera, there’s a ready made replacement, who United fans desperately want to see more of, sat on the bench waiting for an opportunity.

Fortunately for Rooney, Louis Van Gaal seems to have an aversion to starting Herrera, whose lack of positional savvy and constant desire to stream forward just doesn’t sit right with the rigid manager.

Plus, since Rooney’s Manchester United’s captain, it would be a huge call for him to drop him from the team. Van Gaal has previously proven that he doesn’t mind making such decisions. But this time it would surely be the death knell for Rooney’s future as captain, and possibly even his future at Old Trafford too. I mean, could you see Rooney sitting around on the bench?

But with Herrera his only real option - Ander Pereira and Jesse Lingard are too young, Juan Mata has been excelling coming in from the wing, while even fans don’t want to see Maraoune Fellaini given the chance – Rooney might still be have more time to search and dig for the form that has made him England’s record goal-scorer.

And while that might save him until January, probably the summer, Louis Van Gaal will surely already be looking at possible replacements to splash the cash on.

And while that would be a dragged out way to bring an end to Rooney’s Manchester United career, it’s the sort of decision that Van Gaal revels in making.

And, after Arsenal, it now needs to be done to give United their best hope of returning to the top.

Images via Getty/Catherine Ivill - AMA/Julian Finney/Michael Regan