Even Without Scoring Goals, Wayne Rooney Should Be An Immediate Help To Manchester United

There’s also the idea that Rooney could disrupt the team. Before his sabbatical, Rooney was publicly questioning the club’s characterization of his ankle injury. He also engaged in a very open ploy to get a better contract, saying he would not resign with the club (before he eventually did). This week we read how Alex Ferguson is still upset with Paul Stretford (Rooney’s agent), and while he has not expressed similar derision toward Rooney, how can Ferguson fully separate the player’s decisions from the actions of his agent?

Then there’s the problem of displacing Javier Hernández or Dimitar Berbatov. Again, if Rooney is at his best, no problem, but this year’s Wayne Rooney has one goal in five league appearances. That’s the same rate as Federico Macheda, worse than Michael Owen’s, and when you consider minutes played (instead of appearances), Rooney’s goal rate looks worse. Berbatov has been good for six in 12, while Hernández has started his Premier League career with three goals in nine. If Ferguson is intent on working Rooney back in, it might be a temporary setback, a decrease in production caused by displacing one of Berbatov or Hernández.