What’s next for Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney?

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In the dying minutes of the Premier League match against Stoke City, Wayne Rooney scored with an absolute peach of a free-kick to get to his 250^th strike and go past Sir Bobby Charlton’s record, becoming the highest goalscorer for Manchester United. He has played quite infrequently for the Red Devils under José Mourinho, and has, thus, been unable to positively impact games as often as he used to.

Age, injuries, and ignorance and/or indolence in maintaining personal fitness have taken a toll on the forward, which has effectively attracted immense criticism from all sides. Regardless of his current form, he will go down as one of the best players in Manchester United’s history books.

As a young, talented Scouser from Everton, Rooney’s move to Manchester over 12 years ago was just the beginning of a phenomenal journey. Five league titles, one Champions League trophy and three domestic cups, along with numerous individual honours can hardly illuminate the impact the club captain has had on the club’s success for over a decade.

However, Wazza has visibly been on the decline for the past few seasons. He has lost his energy going forward and the killer instinct inside the box that was the secret to many of his goals. Because of his speed, or lack thereof, he has been shunned to a role in the midfield as more prolific strikers, like Robin van Persie, Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have taken centre stage. The supreme work rate and stamina to consistently pursue and put pressure on opposition players have clearly been on the wane from Rooney’s style of play.

Despite being in his early 30s, he dims in comparison to some of his superstar peers like Zlatan, Francesco Totti, and Cristiano Ronaldo. Having lost a consistent starting place under Mourinho this season, it will be interesting to see if he decides to stay and fight for another chance, or moves on for consistent playing time, and better pay!

The Chinese Super League has been in the news in recent times, with a lot of players moving to China in search of reviving their career and better wages.

Wayne Rooney could join the likes of Oscar, Lavezzi, Tevez, and Pelle in the Orient. United might be pleased to get him off their books, as it would mean a major influx of cash and would also free up a huge chunk of the wage load. It would be, as they say, a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Another viable option for Wazza would be to move to another Premier League club. It is, however, unlikely that Mourinho would be willing to sell to a title rival. Rooney might also not be on board with a move to a mid-table club in England.

A transfer to his boyhood club, Everton, might be an interesting option, considering that the Blues could use a mature player inside a relatively young dressing room, especially if they are serious about their European ambitions. Rooney could be handy as a support striker to Romelu Lukaku, or a backup for young Ross Barkley.

A move abroad to another European club is unforeseeable, considering his enormous wage demands. Playing in the Major League Soccer would be an exciting option for Rooney, something that former British players like David Beckham, Robbie Keane, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard have all attempted in their twilight years, to varying degrees of success!

Regardless of where Wayne Rooney ends up playing, either at the end of this transfer window or in the summer, it has become exceedingly clear that he will have to put in much more effort right now if he wishes to prolong his playing career for another few years. At just 31 years of age, the football world hopes that this talented superstar will still have much more to contribute to the beautiful sport.

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