Patrick Rees
A surprised, yet well-deserved omission was done by the Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho in the tie against the defending Champions Leicester City. The skipper Wayne Rooney was dropped onto the bench and the youngsters, namely, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford were handed the first team spot on the wings, and Juan Mata was deployed on the number 10 spot.
The Devils were in full control of the game in every department and hardly gave the Foxes a chance to test De Gea in the first half and it seemed like the omission of the skipper actually worked great. The 30-year-old versatile Englishman has been facing a lot of criticism in recent time, as nothing is working out for him. His first touch has been poorer than ever, his passes are not sticking perfectly, he is slowing down the tempo of the game and his ability in the final third has been a major issue for the side.
Talking analytically, the Devils actually performed great in the absence of the skipper and Juan Mata in particular, had an amazing afternoon, to say the least. Marcus Rashford, on the other hand, was a trouble all afternoon for the Foxes and the result may have differed if Rooney had started the game, that’s for sure.
Now, Ian Wright, who made more than 200 appearances for the Gunners, believes that the end is nearing for the English striker, and that might be true as Wright himself faced a similar situation while his time with Arsenal.
He told the Sun:
“It looks like the beginning of the end for Wayne Rooney. He looks tired and most of all, he looks forlorn.
“All the stick weighs you down and people have been saying he shouldn’t be in the team since the start of the season. Juan Mata was the difference on Saturday.
“The first time a 17-year-old Nicolas Anelka trained with us at Arsenal, I knew I had 18 months left max.
“There was no way I was stopping that tidal wave. He had everything.
“I was sat on the bench, watching the future. That’s a situation Rooney could find himself in.”
Marcus Rashford has shown the glimpses of what Rooney did during his peak and it is fair to say that Ian might be right. Jose Mourinho do not really have a great history of using the young guns, but the fate has fared in well for Rashford. He is full of pace, which Rooney has completely lost, and besides that; he is a deadly presence in the 12-yards area, which can easily make him a perfect personnel for Mourinho.
