Wayne Rooney is at an unexpected crossroads in his career. His past achievements for Manchester United and England are in no doubt but there’s been a lot of debate on how much he has to contribute to both teams. At 30 years of age, with his range of attributes, he should have a few years left in him yet and certainly isn’t shying away from the challenge of reinventing himself.
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He seems to have taken the appointment of Jose Mourinho as a challenge to prove himself under the successful Portuguese manager all over again, as he did under United’s legendary coach Sir Alex Ferguson.
“I came to Manchester United because I wanted to work under Alex Ferguson and then in the latter years what Mourinho has done in football, in Spain and Italy and England, he is a manager who you want to play under,” Rooney said.
“He is one of the best around and to learn from what he brings it’s going to be exciting for me to try and learn under a manager such as himself.”
“I’ve been working under the manager for the last few days and the sessions have been very good. It is exciting, he is one of the best managers in world football and he has a clear idea of what he wants. I’m just looking forward to playing for him now.”
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There’s been a lot of discussion on what Rooney’s best role is nowadays, the assertion that he doesn’t have the pace to burst through defenses like he did in the past.
“It’s almost like a free role and I am excited to play it, he said to me about playing No10. That is something I’ve now got to work on and get myself in the right position to score goals. I have scored goals all through my career and I have no doubt in my goalscoring ability. Hopefully, I can do that this season.
“I like to be involved in the game and I am now playing for José who, straight away, has no fears about players coming deep if they want to. It’s a different way of playing, a different manager, different ideas and if I can bring my game and qualities to this team, then I know I can create chances and score goals.”
Rooney has amassed 245 goals in 520 appearances for United, and a futher 53 goals in 115 appearances for England. He admits he hasn’t been as prolific as that of late though,
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“As the striker in the last couple of seasons, it has been difficult with not creating many chances, It will be the same as the England record. It will be a huge honour to become record scorer at this club. I have no doubt that it will happen this season. It will be a huge moment for me.”
United fans will be intrigued to see how Rooney fits into Mourinho’s team this season, amidst a glittering array of new signings. He’s one player who knows what it means to turn out for Manchester United day in and day out, and deal with the massive expectations that come with a club of this size and prestige, and his contribution in the 2016-17 could be crucial.
