Aston Villa 0-3 Manchester United - Five talking points

Returning Rooney brings back control to United’s midfield

Last weekend at home to Newcastle, United were without the suspended Rooney and had Van Persie up front. As a result, they were overrun in midfield and ended up losing the game in the middle of the park. But the return of Rooney brought back some semblance of control in central midfield. The Englishman dropped back, whenever possible to make it three in the middle and help out Ryan Giggs and Tom Cleverley.

There were occasions when Rooney was almost playing like a quarter back and was spraying 60-yard cross field balls and channeling his inner Scholes. What helped matters was that Cleverley, who has been a scapegoat of late, also turned in a standout performance. The Englishman was at the heart of most attacks and was intelligent in his use of the ball. He picked off a lot of attacks and was the one who won the ball back and started the attack, which he himself finished to score the third and final goal.