Do the Van Gaalacticos signal the beginning of the end for Wayne Rooney at Manchester United?

Old Trafford has had a rejuvenated look with the arrival of some of the top stars in the world.

The arrival of new players at Old Trafford

The petty smiles on the face of United supporters following the victory at against QPR showed the volatility of Manchester United in the past season. For everything that Louis van Gaal has ever done since assuming the role of manager at Manchester United, he never quite assured the fans of results. A press conference where he suggested that he needed three months to implement his philosophy was anything but a consolation to the good times Old Trafford hoped would dawn on it.

Di Maria’s purchase was a lifeline to all the pain United were possibly destined to experience in the upcoming season. But then, how often does a single transfer window provide so much? Perhaps, the only club who could eclipse this would be Real Madrid in the 2009 summer window when they bought both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka.

Radamel Falcao may have been the icing on the cake that was Di Maria but what was the real kicker his arrival on loan. Considering his recent injury worries, it is a good deal for United. He is probably the most complete striker in the world, and his goalscoring rate is a massive 0.88 per game.

After three weeks of boring football and a mere two points, the deadline day signings breathed new life into the squad and ensured for the first time, a positive result this season. Four goals to account for and a beautiful display by the midfield was all the fans ever wanted to see. The defensive midfield position, which has been the Achilles heel for long looked well filled that day. Ander Herrera, a technical Spanish midfielder put in a great performance and both Di Maria and him look set to bring a lot of thrust and invention to the United midfield.

Where does Wayne Rooney stand?

Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the new signings coupled with the recent positive result, there has been a clear loss of concern over Wayne Rooney. That guy clearly has been lost among the sea of players arriving at Old Trafford and his position is somewhat down on the scale. Contrary to what the pre-season offered, there has been an absolute lack of attention on Wayne Rooney.

I’m not going to press over the fact that he played well against QPR but on what happens of him in the near future seeing as Di Maria looks to preside over Old Trafford. Ever since scoring on his debut, the spotlight has been on Rooney. He has been at the center of attention for various reasons and that has affected his game a lot.

Early in his career, Rooney was an exciting player that many touted as England’s greatest prospect since Paul Gascoigne. Unlike what many of the present day fans perceive, Rooney back then was a ruthless player. Ruthless and devastating as he was on the field, his off-field behaviour was one of the reasons his playing ability reduced.

The right Captain at the wrong time?

Rooney as captain has been a long-awaited move but will it pay dividends this time?

At 28 years of age, he has been made the captain and after 10 years of being at the club, it was natural that he would be given the armband. However, Louis van Gaal chose the wrong time to place Rooney under responsibility. Rooney’s travails throughout his Manchester United career trajectory have basically been due to one reason; his arrogance off the field.

Openly admitting his intention to leave the club and using that as a tool to fund higher wages for himself do not speak highly of a player whose newest task includes leading an assembled group of diverse players. Even last season, pre-season troubles with Rooney and possibly an imminent transfer to Chelsea were dissolved quite well by Moyes and were indicators of the way Rooney perceived the club.

As evidenced in the match against QPR, Angel Di Maria is a class act. He is amongst the elite few who could call themselves as being just below Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the race to be the best player in the world. His man-of-the-match performance is a clear sign of what is to come - that Di Maria shall have a telling impact at Old Trafford and shall headline their results is a sign of Louis van Gaal’s ideas which are yet to be implemented fully.

Clearly, Van Gaal caters to the needs of the team and not that of the player. When he chose to sell Welbeck, a boy who had grown up at United, his intentions were well worth examining and they have proved quite fruitful, in the fact that Radamel Falcao is now at Manchester United. Falcao scores goals for fun, and at a frequency that is ridiculously high for the modern game. With two such players in the side, what is the role of Wayne Rooney other than to play the support striker?

When I say support striker, I don’t mean the tactical position but rather the situation in which Rooney finds himself in. Throughout his career, Rooney has always had a self-developed amount of spotlight on himself that has indirectly contributed to his playing. Ever since assuming the role of lead striker in 2009, after the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney has been United’s go-to man.

Barring all the behavioural problems, lies an innate ability to lead the team from the front in him. While Sir Alex may have been the most important factor outside the field, Rooney has without a doubt been the important link inside.

The fallen brilliance of Rooney

Simply put, Rooney thrives when the spotlight is on him. Although they may be undersized, his contributions for the national team have nevertheless been pivotal, and there too, he is focal point of the team. Over the course of time for the past few years, there have been wavering reviews of Rooney’s gradual change of position on the field.

Although they may be construed as towards the team’s growth, Rooney plays best up front and at any other position, his predatory striker instincts are lost. His growth as a player has regressed in the past two years and that has been the main reason for his positional change and ineffectiveness from various positions. Although Rooney might have a sizeable assist tally, predominantly his assists are those in easy situations or instances where the goalscorers have made good use of them.

The various changes at Old Trafford might have changed the entire backroom but Rooney’s ability as a player is unlikely to ever change. At 28, you might expect him to be in his prime. However, he isn’t the player he was two years ago and the significant difference is mainly due to the secondary role he has taken up.

Robin van Persie usurping his position in the team as the lead goalscorer and a subsequent relegation to the attacking midfield position has seen him slow down in many attributes of the game. Of course, he did perform well last season after the signing of a huge deal but then, he wasn’t able to inspire the team like he did in 2011.

Now that he’s been made captain, the aggressive Rooney who is so vocal on the pitch faces a new role. He will have to take in a lighter role in the team while at the same time coordinating a team which clearly has bigger stars than himself.

The hidden question

These are the few situations where Rooney has been unable to excel. Although good times look set to re-emerge at Old Trafford, could Manchester United’s captain be placed in such a dangerous predicament? Only time will tell. For all we know, the past certainly doesn’t indicate that.

Rooney’s importance at Manchester United is waning. Will he live up to that or will he succumb to the relative lack of pressure to perform?