He was described by Martin O'Neill as "one of the best
players in the world, absolutely at the top of his form" on
Wednesday. In the Manchester Mercantile Court this week, his agent
and his former management company have argued over £4.3m-worth of
commission on the player's commercial deals. As Wayne Rooney
becomes the irresistible choice for Player of the Year, putting a
value on him is no simple matter.
Against Aston Villa on Wednesday he was again the
outstanding player for Manchester United, who played for an hour
with 10 men. This season has been different to any of his previous
five seasons with United.
Already he has scored 21 Premier League goals in 25
starts, five in excess of his previous best league record when he
scored 16 in his entire second season at United. If anything
differentiates Rooney present from Rooney past it has been his
composure in front of goal. He has been saved by manager Sir Alex
Ferguson for the League this year, starting only two of United's
six Champions League group games.
His goalscoring run picked up pace with England in the
last World Cup qualification campaign, in which he ended up with
nine goals in the nine qualifiers he played. He has scored just
once in his last five games for England but the difference with
United and national team is obvious. He is much more effective in
front of goal.
In the past Rooney has not always looked like the
archetypal goalscorer. When he was substituted by Fabio Capello
against the Czech Republic in August 2008 he had only 14 goals in
44 caps. Since then, as England have been transformed, so has
Rooney. His record now stands at a far more respectable 25 goals in
57 caps.
The discipline
Contrary to the usual assumptions about Rooney, he has
never had a dreadful disciplinary record – it just looks that way
because of the manner in which he charges about the pitch. His last
red card for United was against Fulham in March of last year and
this season he has picked up just five bookings in the League –
unsurprisingly three of them in games that United were on their way
to losing.
On Wednesday we were treated to the rare sight of the
referee Peter Walton helping Rooney to fasten on the captain's
armband that he inherited from Ryan Giggs when the latter went off
injured. Rooney's general attitude of disbelief mixed with contempt
towards referees has softened. He is more likely to talk to them
now.
In the past Rooney has become increasingly tetchy when
asked to play alone up front, the most famous example being the
World Cup quarter-final against Portugal in 2006 when he was sent
off. These days, when asked to lead the line on his own, he does
not react as badly to the treatment meted out by defenders.
The commitment
Only Patrice Evra has played more minutes (2,384) than
Rooney (2,216) for United in the League this season. He has
featured in every game apart from the home encounter with Bolton
Wanderers in October. As ever it is the big injuries – breaks and
ruptures – that United and England will fear because Rooney does
not seem to be plagued by the everyday aches and pains of most
footballers.
When it came to the other side of Rooney's commitment
on Wednesday, O'Neill picked out the determination with which
Rooney chased Ashley Young down the right flank with seven minutes
left of the match. Some managers would have been concerned at the
ferocity of Rooney's charge after one of their best players.
O'Neill regarded it as something his Villa players could learn
from.
In the bad old days, Rooney might have been tempted to
do something daft as he sprinted back into the left-back position.
These days he seems to be able to keep a lid on it. And commitment
comes in many guises: he is not playing hardball over his new
contract and suggesting that he might go elsewhere. He has said
repeatedly that he wants to stay at United.
His position
The 4-3-3 formation that both United and Arsenal have
adopted is part of a new trend to try to imitate Barcelona's
formidable Champions League-winning system. At Arsenal, it relies
upon the quality of the wingers to make it work because with Robin
van Persie injured they do not have a recognised centre- forward.
At United, it is Rooney who holds it altogether.
After the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney has
become the focal point for every United attack. It means that he is
the player pushed furthest up the pitch, which militates against
his tendency to drift deeper and deeper in search of possession.
When United counter-attack, as they did against Arsenal at the end
of last month, he is able to run at defences that are undermanned
and exposed.
It has meant that Dimitar Berbatov has become more of
an understudy to Rooney than a foil; Michael Owen has slipped off
the radar and Danny Welbeck has been sent off to Preston on loan.
This is not an easy system to play but Ferguson seems to be
convinced that he only needs one player above all in order to make
it work.
His status
It goes without saying that Old Trafford is a very
different place to when Rooney first arrived. Back in the summer of
2004 there were no Glazers in charge, Arsenal were the best team in
the country by some distance and there was only one Champions
League trophy to the club's name.
More importantly, so many big names have left since
then, including Ronaldo, Roy Keane, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Alan
Smith, Diego Forlan and Gabriel Heinze. Rooney is already in his
sixth season at the club, one more than Van Nistelrooy played for
United. By the end of this season he will have been at United as
long as Ronaldo was.
But there are other reasons why Rooney tends to get the
armband when Giggs or Rio Ferdinand is substituted. This team is
facing another epoch of rapid redevelopment. Not only will the
likes of Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville have little time
left, but older stalwarts Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic seem to be
approaching the time when they start to wind down or, in the
latter's case, angling to leave.
Rooney is already a United veteran at 24, but that has
also coincided with arguably the most impressive period of his
career to date.
Just how good is Rooney? The great and the good
have their say
"For some time it has been possible to say certain
things about Rooney with absolute conviction. One is that he is the
most talented English player of his generation. Another is that he
has the potential to be the best in the world. Recently he has been
simply magnificent. He has accepted his responsibilities and
confirmed his quality. He is a pure football; his love of the game
shines through every performance."
Sir Bobby Charlton
"Sometimes you see a young player and you know right
away he is exceptional. Rooney was such a player right from the
start. When I first saw him I thought, 'Here is a lad who can do
anything in the game.' He has the thing all the truly great players
have. He knows the game, and where to be on the field, quite
instinctively. He can be up there with all the great ones, people
like Pele."
John Giles
"It's a no-brainer. Rooney is a great player and can
prove himself one of the greatest we have ever seen. When Cristiano
Ronaldo was at United, Rooney was often asked to play in positions
he might not have liked so much. Now he is coming into his own.
Best of his English generation? It's another no-brainer."
Paddy Crerand
"In my book Wayne is up there with [Lionel] Messi and
Ronaldo. He has amazing talent."
Ryan Giggs
"As good as Pele? There will only ever be one Pele
regardless of colour. Wayne Rooney is as exciting to watch now as
he was in Euro 2004 when he burst onto the scene. If we conducted a
poll with Europe's top players, I'm confident they would regard him
as world-class. So do I."