Future of England international, Wayne Rooney at Manchester United has been subject of much debate recently and many people feel that the striker might leave Old Trafford at the end of the current campaign.
Confining a star and a game-changer especially when you are facing Real Madrid in a Champions League knockout game is always going to be a debatable decision and will result in a lot of speculation regarding that player’s future.

The same thing has happened with England international Wayne Rooney whose future has become something of an obsession in European media in recent weeks. It all started back in February when Sir Alex Ferguson chose to use his star player as an impact sub during the second leg of the Round of 16 game against Real Madrid. The game ended 2-1 with Real Madrid scoring two goals in quick succession after a controversial red card to Luis Nani and the Red Devils were knocked out of the competition.

Since joining Manchester United from Everton nine year ago, Wayne Rooney has transformed from a protégé to one of the most important players in Sir Alex Ferguson’s starting eleven. The former Everton man has learned to calm down his temper among other things under the tutelage of Sir Alex.

However, it appears that Wayne Rooney is falling down in the pecking order at Old Trafford. Ever since he was dropped from the starting eleven against Madrid, Rooney’s future has come under intense scrutiny with every performance analysed under a microscope.

With many clubs, most noticeably Paris Saint-Germain monitoring the striker’s rumoured deteriorating situation at the club, the player’s performances have also come under a lot of scrutiny.

One has to say that constant speculation over his future have started taking its toll on Rooney who is not really looking like the player he usually is. During his side’s 2-2 draw against West Ham United in midweek, Rooney was playing totally out of position and many a times, he ventured deep into his own half to help the midfield. However, this meant intervening in Michael Carrick’s duties.

Throughout the game against West Ham, Rooney was not creative enough nor were his passes as sleek and precise as they usually are. And, it appears that Sir Alex is also not very happy with his player’s performances. For a second game in a row, the Englishman was substituted in the second half which clearly shows that the player is no longer guaranteed a place in the starting eleven.

Following the game, Ferguson cited that Rooney’s substitution was justified since there were other players on the pitch who were performing better than him, notably his Japanese teammate Shinji Kagawa.

‘As far as taking him off on Wednesday it was simple, he wasn’t playing as well as Shinji Kagawa and we had to get that goal that mattered. There are so many games where Wayne Rooney has been better than most players, but on the night Shinji was playing so well,’ said the manager.

In short, no matter how big the player is, he will never be bigger than the club and the manager. In past, Ferguson has not hesitated in leaving star players out in the cold and it would be no surprise if he does it again. The likes of Jaap Stam, Roy Keane, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistlerooy have faced Fergie’s wrath and the same could happen to Rooney.

Almost 10 years ago, Juan Sebastian Veron was preferred over David Beckham during a Champions League knockout game against Real Madrid. Few months later, the England international was sold to the Castillian club, no questions asked. Will lightning strike twice? Only time will tell.