The media is full of stories these days about Wayne Rooney leaving United over the summer, possibly to PSG. I do not trust these dubious reports, whose main purpose is to generate more income for the media. News about Rooney leaving United sell well, of course, but that does not make it true. Remember all the media reports a couple of years ago about Wesley Sneijder coming to United? The stories generated a lot of interest among fans, and were good business for the media, but turned out to be false, or at least misleading.
Rooney has not had a good season, this is true. However, as recently as last season Rooney was probably United's best player overall (together with Valencia, whose form has also dropped this season). And the season before that he was outstanding. What concerns me most, is that Rooney's fitness level seems lagging. In fact, he is one of the few players who looked fitter before joining United than afterwards (most players have the opposite experience). It makes you wonder: is he eating, training and resting well, like a top athlete should? To make matters worse, Rooney is also picking up frequent injuries these days. He is no longer the "hothead" that he was earlier in his career, and is booked less frequently now. However, this change is a dual-edged sword, as Rooney also seems to play with less passion and motivation now than before.
Can Rooney recover his top form? I do think so, and hope that we will see signs of this even before the current season is over. Picking up another Premier League will also be good for his confidence and motivation. I also think Rooney is aware that leaving United may not be a boost to his career, rather the opposite. Is it that great to sit among the substitutes on the PSG bench? Probably not. Better for Rooney to stay in United and work his way back into top form, with the world best manager, Sir Alex, fully behind him.
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