After a disastrous year in the club colours for Manchester United, England sensation Wayne Rooney might be hoping that nightmare does not continue onto the national front as England arrive on American shores ahead of their World Cup preparations.
After a disastrous year in the club colours for Manchester United, England sensation Wayne Rooney might be hoping that nightmare does not continue onto the national front as England arrive on American shores ahead of their World Cup preparations. As the English players settle down, very few of them will be feeling the heat as much as Wayne Rooney on the team’s pre-World Cup stops in Miami. The more closely it gets, the greater the pressure on the star striker to produce the kind of performances for England that earned him the most profitable contract in Manchester United history last season.
‘Roo’, who collects more than $20 million dollars a year at United, has scored 38 goals in 89 England appearances since bursting onto the scene as a teenager but has now gone four matches on international duty without scoring. No wonder the country is so concerned about his goal drought. With just two weeks before England opens its World Cup campaign against Italy in Brazil, English fans might be hoping that their star player comes to the party against the big guns of world football.
Even though England coach Roy Hodgson is trying to ensure Rooney is not burdened by the weight of expectations in a country which has not won the World Cup since 1966 – or even reached the semi-finals in 24 years; the pressure remains on the Manchester United striker to perform on the stage that will host the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Franck Ribery.
But even if the likes of Ronaldo and Messi are battling for the numero uno crown, Rooney has the potential to be the greatest. But even if it is debated, is Wayne’s best years behind him? The 28-year-old should be at his footballing peak, but some pundits are already questioning whether Hodgson should cast aside the country’s most recognizable player. Former Manchester United team-mate Paul Scholes issued a plea to the manager by considering putting the star forward on the bench against Italy if his form doesn’t get up to scratch.’ Really Scholes?
While Rooney is likely to start at one of the two games in Miami – against Honduras rather than Ecuador – his starting spot against Italy seems to be in jeopardy. Hodgson didn’t name Rooney as one of his guaranteed picks for the Italy tie when asked about his options this weekend. Rarely though, has Rooney’s life away from the pitch seemed so quiet. Even though he has been dogged by scandals in his private life that made front page news, Rooney now seems focused on bringing up his two children with wife Coleen.
But Wayne Rooney knows that it requires only a single game to make a comeback and in the past the former has done the same. But the time has come for the Manchester United player to show the world his true talent, otherwise it will too late and too little!
