Amorim’s £300k-p/w “legend” is starting to emulate Wayne Rooney at Man Utd

The phrase ‘legend’ is thrown round all too readily within the lovely sport, however that may be a tag that needs to be bestowed upon a key determine of Manchester United’s fashionable period – Wayne Rooney.

Plucked from Everton as a bulldozing teenager, the England and United nice went on to attain outstanding success throughout a glittering 13-year keep at Previous Trafford, claiming an entire gamut of silverware, alongside his file complete of 253 objectives in all competitions.

Proper from the outset, following his debut hat-trick in opposition to Fenerbahce, ‘Wazza’ merely seemed born to drag on that well-known pink jersey, having additionally put the ‘satan’ in Crimson Devils together with his relentless, full-blooded strategy.

Sure, there have been low moments – together with his public need to go away in each 2010 and 2013 – however the highs have been a lot extra memorable, be it that overhead kick within the Manchester Derby, or his long-range stunner away at West Ham United.

A part of the famed ahead line, alongside Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, that claimed Champions League glory in 2008, Rooney was merely a menace in his pomp, with the nice Sir Alex Ferguson beforehand suggesting that he may have performed “in any period”.

Not solely that, however the ex-Everton man was additionally seemingly the person for any place, be it as a quantity ten, a centre-forward, a winger or – as was the case in his latter days – as a central midfielder.

Why Wayne Rooney moved into midfield

It is honest to say that a lot of Rooney’s finest work for United got here on the high finish of the pitch, with the versatile speedster memorably scoring 34 objectives in all competitions through the 2009/10 marketing campaign, whereas working as a centre-forward.

As he himself later admitted, nonetheless, he “hated” enjoying because the lone quantity 9 as he “needed to become involved” within the sport, having notably moved right into a quantity ten berth following Robin van Persie’s arrival in 2012.

That duo notably mixed on the day that clinched what stays United’s most up-to-date league title, with Rooney choosing out the Dutchman with a pleasant lofted cross excessive. Van Persie, after all, did the remainder.

Such a second maybe hinted at a future for the Englishman in a deeper position later in his profession, with Louis van Gaal subsequently opting to deploy his skipper as a central midfielder throughout his time in cost.

Talking in April 2016, Rooney then admitted that he was seeking to emulate teammate Paul Scholes in that position:

Most memorably, Rooney began in a deep-lying berth within the 2016 FA Cup ultimate, with the Every day Mail’s Sami Mokbel writing on the time that the 30-year-old ‘ran the present’ in that eventual 2-1 victory.

To have moved from working within the ultimate third to then pulling the strings within the centre of the park appeared like a pure development for the now-retired star, with that state of affairs maybe now repeating itself with regard to Bruno Fernandes.

Man Utd’s “legend” may now be emulating Rooney

After the highs of that Wembley triumph on the finish of Van Gaal’s tenure, Rooney – who performed as a midfielder in England’s unsuccessful Euro 2016 marketing campaign – noticed his change in position show short-lived amid Jose Mourinho’s arrival, with the Portuguese coach stating that his captain “won’t ever be a quantity six” in his workforce.

Only a yr later, ‘Wazza’ was on his means again to Everton after enduring a bit-part position in claiming Europa League and Carabao Cup success in 2016/17, earlier than finally retiring in 2021 after spells with DC United and Derby County.

There may be maybe the view that it was a mistake for Rooney to have tried to vary his sport within the latter levels of his profession, with analyst Michael Cox writing in 2017 that he ‘had not taken to that position as a result of he doesn’t have the mobility to play there’.

Maybe there could also be a worry of Fernandes enduring comparable difficulties, with the £300k-per-week talisman additionally not precisely probably the most defensively-minded determine to name upon. Certainly, in opposition to Nottingham Forest in midweek, he was dribbled previous on three events and misplaced the ball 31 occasions.

Regardless of these considerations, the choice to maneuver the 30-year-old right into a deeper position – amid his earlier work as a quantity ten – does look as if it may show way more profitable than Rooney’s personal late profession enterprise.

That was once more evident in opposition to Forest because the Portuguese playmaker initially struggled when working behind Joshua Zirkzee, earlier than gaining higher management after a half-time reshuffle noticed him slot in alongside Casemiro, as he went on to rack up six key passes in complete.

The reported Actual Madrid goal has been in high quality kind as a part of the midfield duo after netting in opposition to the likes of Arsenal, Leicester Metropolis and Actual Sociedad, with Amorim describing him because the “good captain” amid criticism from treble-winning hero, Roy Keane.

Additionally described as a “legend” in his personal proper by his supervisor, Fernandes has beforehand hinted that he envisages his future as a quantity six, once more mirroring Rooney in having plotted out the latter levels of his profession.

The one concern can be whether or not the previous Sporting CP man – like Rooney – has the bodily capabilities to make himself a long-term match on this position transferring ahead, with The Athletic’s Carl Anka beforehand noting that the ‘central midfielders in Amorim’s 3-4-3 are chosen for his or her athleticism and tackling qualities in the beginning’.

The plan is working in the mean time, to an extent, contemplating Fernandes’ particular person brilliance, but it surely does beg the query as as to if he can preserve this momentum within the centre of the park.

With the midfield maestro maybe approaching legendary standing himself, he should be certain that his United profession doesn’t peter out in the identical means that Rooney’s did earlier than him.