All posts by h79snht.top

An impossible job. He’d been there 26 years.

He had his own statue in the grounds, and a stand in his name. He won 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups and two Champions League trophies. He won the Cup Winners Cup, the Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

David Moyes had won the Second Division with Preston North End in 2000.

Succeeding Ferguson was never going to be easy, but the Scot may have left his successor with a harder job than necessary.

Ferguson’s final years at Man United may be characterised by myopia. Long-term stability was sacrificed for short-term success. He was done with building. He’d built a club. Now he wanted to have some fun.

It was the summer of 2012. Manchester United had just lost out on the title on goal difference, with Wayne Rooney scoring 27 league goals along the way. The team was crying out for a central midfielder. Never mind replacing Paul Scholes, Man United still hadn’t found a successor for Roy Keane.

But Ferguson opted to spend £24m on a 29-year-old striker from Arsenal. A very good 29-year-old striker, but an injury prone player with no sell-on value and high wage demands.

The result was one last sweet title for Ferguson, but one massive headache for Moyes. The Rooney and Van Persie conundrum aside, Moyes also inherited a starting back four that included three players of 32 or over, a starting right-back who was a liability and no left-winger deserved of a starting place.

But even so, the squad is of good enough quality to be higher than the 7th place that they currently occupy.

However, if we are to blame Ferguson for Manchester United’s demise this season, should we be praising David Moyes for Everton’s success?

David Moyes managed Everton for 11 years. He built a stable structure at the club while working with a lot less money than other managers around him. No one worried about Everton with Moyes. The only thing they worried about was what they’d do when he eventually left.

But apparently such concerns were idle, as Everton under Roberto Martinez appear to have moved onto another level. With four games left to play, the Toffees have Champions League football in their sights, and recently comprehensively defeated their rivals for this position 3-0.

Many have pointed to the strong defensive structure and solid scouting policy under Moyes as reasons for the Scot to take credit from Martinez’ success. And while these areas were undoubtedly strong, both have changed significantly under Martinez.

Moyes left behind a solid back five in Howard, Baines, Distin, Jagielka and Coleman. And while Martinez hasn’t made a changes to personal barring injury, he has changed the manner in which the team defend.

Under Martinez, Everton defend much higher and try to win the ball back further up the pitch. Sylvain Distin in particular has excelled in this role, having one of his best seasons at the club while sweeping up in between defence and keeper.

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Roberto Martinez has also benefitted from the strong squad that Moyes left behind, with players such as Mirallas, Naismith and Pienaar all impressing under the Spaniard.

However, the former Wigan manager has made quite a few changes to a squad that didn’t seem in need of overhaul, most notably by bringing in Lukaku, McCarthy, Barry and Deulofeu. These players have had a major impact at the club this season, and Everton certainly look like a Roberto Martinez’s team from the midfield on.

The truth, as it often does, probably lies somewhere in the middle. While Ferguson has certainly had a part in Man United’s poor season, he left David Moyes a squad that was better than the 7th place which he’s steered it to.

Similarly, while Moyes left a strong structure in place at Everton, it would be unfair on Martinez to give Moyes the credit for their success this season. Roberto Martinez has changed a lot in his first year at Everton, and often to positive effect.

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The captain’s armband looked out of place at first, Arjen Robben taking over for the suspended Robin van Persie in Holland’s win over Chile on Monday night. But there’s a completion about Robben now, one that made the captaincy fitting at this stage of his career.

Robben has been one of this World Cup’s best performers. It was always to be expected considering his talent, but he’s been one of the standout players while also shouldering the responsibility of helping to lead a relatively young and inexperienced team through the tournament.

It’s a far cry from what we saw from the Bayern Munich winger two years ago at the European Championship, storming off after being substituted in a game against Germany, choosing to walk round the pitch and past his supporters rather than crossing the field, as is customary.

In a way that incident became something of a turning point for the Dutchman. His quality as a player is well-known, but so too is his reputation for selfishness and petulance.

There were questions raised about Robben’s character in big games, having lost in the final of World Cup 2010 to Spain after having a chance to seal the win for Holland. Against Chelsea in the Champions League final, he missed a penalty awarded to Bayern during extra-time, forcing a shoot-out, which the Bavarians lost.

Another issue many in the football community have with Robben is the ease with which he goes to ground, particularly in the opposition penalty area. Arsene Wenger for one wasn’t fooled by the Dutchman, with both having an exchange of words during Bayern’s 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Emirates last season.

But this World Cup has been another impressive step forward for Robben. Few are accustomed to seeing the winger line up as a centre-forward, as he did against Spain and Australia. He doesn’t exactly fit the criteria, importantly being extremely reliant on his left foot, while he doesn’t have the physical stature normally associated with modern centre-forwards.

But it was a success for Louis van Gaal, deploying Robben alongside Robin van Persie as a means to exploit space behind opposition defences and maximise on the creativity of both van Persie and Wesley Sneijder. Three goals across both of Holland’s opening games suggests there could be a future for Robben in that role.

Where Robben was once wasteful in major finals, he’s now been a vital part of Bayern’s successes over the past two seasons. Against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final in London, he scored the winner in the 89th minute. In the German Cup final against the same opposition this past season, he scored the first of Bayern’s two goals, as they completed the domestic double in Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge.

And the former Barcelona coach has held Robben in high regard for much of the campaign, with Guardiola talking up his love for the Dutchman and citing his professionalism through the season.

Louis van Gaal will naturally be contemplating a bid for the Bayern winger when he takes on domestic coaching duties later this summer, and it would be more than understandable for Manchester United fans to want to see the incredibly in-form Dutchman arrive at Old Trafford during this transfer window.

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But this is a player who looks to be defying his age, playing some of the best football of his career. The pace hasn’t gone and he’s learning new tricks by adapting to different positions on the field.

For Holland, the one-two punch of Robben and van Persie is the appropriate response to the disaster of Euro 2012 and the criticism levelled at the Dutch for their performance against Spain in South Africa.

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Alex Song is already settling in nicely at West Ham – or at least in the side not managed by Sam Allardyce.

West Ham hit the headlines on Thursday evening for a wonderful ‘tika-taka’ goal – yes, really. It may have only have been the club’s reserves but the Cameroon international only signed for the Hammers last week and the early signs suggest he is fitting in just fine.

When I heard that West Ham were linked with Song I was surprised and then even more so when I heard they were ‘leading the race’ for his signature. Before I knew it he was being revealed to the Upton Park crowd before their dismal 3-1 home defeat to Southampton last weekend. My surprise came from the simple fact that West Ham don’t sign players from teams like Barcelona – simple as that. Barca bought him for £15m just two seasons ago, and it clearly hasn’t worked out. In those two years Alex made 39 appearances in La Liga including 20 in Barcelona’s 2012/13 title winning season.

Alex is still just 26-years-old, and therefore pretty much entering his best years. Yet he’s been deemed surplus to requirements at Barcelona and he subsequently decided to join West Ham – why?!

In my mind there isn’t much to attract signings like Alex Song to West Ham at the moment. Sam Allardyce doesn’t play the best football, we all know that, and although it’s certainly improving of late, they are no Barcelona or Arsenal. Perhaps the powers that be at West Ham are moulding the squad into their vision of improving the quality of football, and sticking a man into the midfield who likely hasn’t played a game without dominating possession since 2007 is a start.

Song claimed he turned down offers from clubs with Champions League football to sign with The Hammers, where his cousin Rigobert played for a short time back in the late 1990s. How David Sullivan, David Gold and Sam Allardyce managed to convince him to join the East End outfit is beyond me, but he has claimed that he feels West Ham are growing in stature ahead of their move to the Olympic Stadium and he wanted to play a part in that process. You can’t deny the club’s ambition moving forward.

So it makes sense for West Ham to sign Song, although it doesn’t make a lot of sense for the man himself. But why were Barcelona happy to shift a man they only signed two years ago on a 5 year contract with a £63m release fee?

The Catalan giants were banned from making transfers, and then were allowed to sign eight players for a combined total of £185m! Still, the embargo is apparently going to have to be abided by from now and it would surely make sense for them to keep back-up players during this period?

It makes me think that perhaps Barca have installed a clause in the loan contract in which they can call him back if needed. I’m sure they’ll get by but the Cameroonian international could still do a job with the Spanish giants, despite them boasting a midfield quota of Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets and ex-Hammer Mascherano.

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I think this transfer can be deemed strange by the player himself – a real ‘coup’ for West Ham – and slightly risky by Barcelona. But still, Hammers fans won’t mind…

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With Twitter breaking down the barriers between fans and footballers, we get to know that little bit more about the players we all watch week in, week out.It seems like every top tier star has their own account nowadays, but Wayne Rooney is certainly one of the more high profile players around to have made use of the social media tool, and he’s a quite a good guy to follow.Here are SEVEN things you may not know about ‘Wazza’ which have been revealed by his personal account…[ffc-gallery]

CLICK ON THE MAN HIMSELF TO REVEA

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He loves One Direction…

Who doesn’t right? It appears that although Rooney’s major musical love is the work of Stereophonics, the Liverpudlian actually likes One Direction… Even though he’s not a screaming teenage girl, he’s taken to Twitter to praise the lads for their ‘talent’ and even follows all five of them. Oh, and Rooney follows Justin Bieber, too…

He enjoys a bit of banter…

Even though Richard Keys has ruined the term ‘banter’, it’s still funny to see that our idols within the footballing world do like the odd humorous exchange. Rooney tends to get involved with Piers Morgan on a regular basis, and as two of the tweets below show, he’s game for a laugh. Also, the England and United captain responded to rumours of his hair transplant back in 2011, which shows some guts and a willingness to get involved in a bit of ‘micky-taking’.

He’s a fan of Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad has been one of TV’s real phenomenons in recent years, and has been massively popular in the UK – despite never actually making it to our screens across the Atlantic Ocean. As well as Tweeting about the show, Rooney follows stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, as well as the network (HBO) – whom aired the Albuquerque-based hit.

He follows a wannabe Man United star…

Even though he doesn’t actually play football, Usain Bolt has long let it be known that he dreams of appearing for Manchester United. The Jamaican sprinter has dominated his field for some time, and has talked up a possible switch to his other sporting love at some stage. Rooney follows the speedster, and it would be quite the story if they became a strike partnership in the future…

He was caught out by Manchester United’s transfer fails

Twitter can often be used to work out which player is moving to what club, but Rooney’s account threw out a red herring. The follicly challenged striker follows Toni Kroos, who was one of United’s major transfer targets for the summer.

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The Red Devils missed out on the German – who now plays for Real Madrid – even though some would have hoped that Rooney’s decision to follow the playmaker maybe had some deeper significance.

He’s forgotten about Everton

Some younger football fans may not be aware that Rooney stared his footballing career at Everton. And it seems that the forward himself has forgotten his roots… to an extent. Rooney follows many of his team-mates at international and club level, as well as a host of other companies and figures, but his boyhood club have not made the cut… Bad form, Wayne.

He loves Denzel Washington…

Rooney let his top three films be known on Twitter a while back and also revealed that Denzel Washington is his actor of choice. The hit-man loves the work of the famous 59-year-old, with Man On Fire a favourite. He also enjoys Sister Act 2, making him the only person on earth to publically admit to such an embarrassing fact…

Cesc Fabregas has shown since his return to the Premier League that he is one of the best centre midfielders in the world at the moment – his assist record and play-making ability will go a long way to securing Chelsea some major honours this season.

Arsene Wenger was given the chance to sign the Spaniard back from Barcelona in the summer transfer window as part of a clause which gave the Frenchman first refusal to bid for the player. And Arsene Wenger turned it down. Arsenal didn’t need the midfielder in their ranks after the marquee signing of Mesut Ozil alongside the richness of midfield aces they already had like Carzola, Walcott and Wilshere.

However it stands to reason that you can never have too many world class players in a team if you are looking to push for silverware. A good rotational strength means keeping a quality line-up regardless of which players you decide to play in a game.

Wenger has received a lot of stick in the past for not being willing to spend money on bringing new players to Arsenal in order to compete against some of the other big teams in the country and across Europe, but he broke that mould in recent years with the signings of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, who is proving to be a really good player for the Gunners.

Despite having a decent transfer window, the decision to veto the Cesc transfer is still a boggling one considering how much of a key player the Spaniard was in his original spell in north London and his vital Premiership experience.

No one could have foreseen just how good a start he was going to have in his new life back in the English top flight, however it was clear to see that the player would easily walk in to any of the top teams in England and perform well. Arsene Wenger has always trusted his gut instinct and normally proved a lot of people wrong with certain decisions.

This time around however it seems like the stubborn manager has made a huge mistake in not re-signing his former skipper, not only due to the fact that the guy is clearly in the form of his entire career and enjoying some what of a purple patch for Chelsea, but also because of Arsenal’s present injury woes. Ozil is the latest player to be added to the ever growing injury list for the Gunners – a list which has actually seen them break all sorts of records recently that they would have liked to avoid.

They are down to their bare bones in terms of squad strength now, and despite the imminent return of Theo Walcott, they are looking very thin on the ground and are lacking quality which in Fabragas they would have had. Not only that but even if the the German ace Ozil was still fit to play, the pair of them would have been quite the force in the Arsenal engine room. The combination of these two players’ attacking prowess would have been very difficult for most other clubs to match, therefore tipping the odds balance in their favour a lot more in the race for the title.

The fact that they have such a massive injury list just highlights the mistake Wenger made even more so now as he really is in need of someone in the Fabregas quality bracket to come in and take the team by the scruff of the neck and kick start their title campaign.

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Will this mistake cost them the title? No one player makes a team, but Fabregas could well have made the ultimate difference. In this case it’s hard not to feel that Arsenal’s manager cost them title before the season even began.

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If we needed to pick a team that definitely needs to reinforce their squad in January, it would have to be Liverpool.

The Merseyside club finished second place last season but currently find themselves struggling to hold on to 11th.

Despite recieving a hefty profit from the sale of Luis Suarez, the Reds seemed to have gotten their summer transfer dealings all wrong with their current players somehow unable to click with one another.

So, once the window opens, Rodgers will need to work swiftly, but also very carefully. The Liverpool manager would be well advised to consider the merits of signing a few of these Bundesliga stars when January comes:

Timo Horn

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Name: Timo Horn

Age: 21

Position: Goalkeeper

Nationality: Germany

Club: FC Cologne

Price: £4 – £7 million

Liverpool have been struggling defensively as of late, and with Brendan Rodgers choosing the drop Simon Mignolet, the battle to become the club’s number one may have begun. Although they are turning to back-up goalkeeper Brad Jones, the club will still be in the market for some extra reinforcements.

The Reds have already declared their interest for Timo Horn but may need to look elsewhere after reports suggest that the Germany starlet is ready to pen a new deal at the club. However, Cologne could be tempted by some sort of swap deal with Mignolet unlikely to be satisfied with sitting on the Anfield bench.

Xherdan Shaqiri

Name: Xherdan Shaqiri

Age: 23

Position: Right Wing

Nationality: Switzerland

Club: Bayern Munich

Price: £13 – £16 million

Xherdan Shaqiri has been a long-term target for Liverpool, and given their form, this could be the perfect time to add some quality into their struggling attack. The 23-year-old could be open to a move due to his lack of playing time with Bayern Munich, and with a starting place at Anfield almost a sure thing, he could finally leave the Bundesliga.

He only made three starts from a possible 16 league games so far this season, mostly being used as a substitute, scoring one and providing another. He was a stand out performer for Switzerland at the World Cup and would be a huge coup for Brendan Rodgers.

Christoph Kramer

Name: Christoph Kramer

Age: 23

Position: Defensive Midfield

Nationality: Germany

Club: Bayer Leverkusen (on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach)

Price: £10 – £15 million

Christoph Kramer is another player Brendan Rodgers should really consider because he needs somebody who can dictate the tempo in the middle of the park. If he is to continue to use Steven Gerrard in a more advanced role, he will need someone like the German international to slot in behind the club skipper.

Signing Kramer would add some stability to the defensive midfield role as he can also move deeper to help out with the club’s very shaky defence. He is currently on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach and has been one of their key players, making 12 appearances so far this season. He was also part of the Germany squad that proved victorious at this summer’s World Cup.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Name: Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Age: 25

Position: Attacking Midfield

Nationality: Armenia

Club: Borussia Dortmund

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Price: £18 million (asking price)

Liverpool should come back and try to lure Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Anfield after seeing their earlier offers beaten by Borussia Dortmund back in 2013. Although he has been a regular feature for the German side, his latest injury setback could eventually make Jurgen Klopp decide to let him leave.

Rodgers should be definitely trying to sign Mkhitaryan as Dortmund’s poor league showing may mean the player is more open to a move Merseyside. However, the Reds should still tread carefully before making a move for the Armenian man as they don’t want to face the same outcome as with that of Nuri Sahin.

Marco Reus

Name: Marco Reus

Age: 25

Position: Left Wing

Nationality: Germany

Club: Borussia Dortmund

Price: £20 – £25 million

Finally, a player that pretty much tops every major European club due to the fact that Borussia Dortmund is in desperate need to sell him or risk losing him for only £20million due to a release clause which will come into effect at the end of the season. If Brendan Rodgers wants to see his side back in the title race, signing Reus should be his top priory.

Although injury prone, when he does feature, he is a huge asset to have as he can both score goals and provide them. Having featured in seven league matches so far this season, the winger has already scored three goals and assisted another two. Liverpool will need to battle a huge number of clubs, all of whom will be trying to sign him for around the region of £25million.

Arsene Wenger believes his Arsenal side are capable of achieving their targets for the season even if the club don’t sign a new centre back in the January transfer window, reports Metro.

Wenger is under pressure to bring a new defender to the Emirates this month, having suffered a host of injuries at the back over the course of the season.

The Frenchman also allowed former captain Thomas Vermaelen to move to Barcelona in the summer, and failed to sign a direct replacement for the Belgian.

Arsenal have been punished with injuries to the likes of Laurent Koscielny and Mathieu Debuchy, however Wenger insists his side will continue to cope even if they fail to bring in some new talent this month.

When asked if the Gunners could cope without signing a defender this month, the Frenchman said: ‘We can, because we have [Calum] Chambers, [Per] Mertesacker, Koscielny.

‘But we have now lost Debuchy, who could play centre-back, Monreal, who can play centre-back, Gibbs as well has been out … of course, if we have another injury or two, we will struggle.

‘It’s risky. It’s too risky. Of course we have made enquiries and then you have a second handicap of who wants to sell their best players, especially a central defender, in the middle of the season. They say: “OK, come back in June or July and maybe yes.”

Arsenal have been linked with a move for West Ham defender Winston Reid this month, but Wenger remained tight-lipped on the prospect of any deal.

“I am not the only one working on the case. It’s not a supermarket where you go in and buy a defender,’ he said.

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‘It’s a market that is very restricted, that players who can strengthen the best 10 teams in Europe, you don’t find many and it’s the same for everybody.

‘We are a big attraction, of course we are, but if it was easy we would do it.’

An early transfer blow for Manchester United has already come in the shape of Marquinhos penning a new contract at Paris Saint-Germain.

The 20-year-old Brazilian was linked with the Red Devils during January after emerging as one of the planet’s best young defenders and was seen as a potentially wise addition at Old Trafford as Louis van Gaal sets about repairing his rearguard.

Naturally the news that such a player is not available is a negative for the club, but there is no need to fear, as there are plenty more fish in the sea. So cast out your net, Louis, because any of this FIVE may be worth catching…

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Raphael Varane

A £30m swoop has been talked up, and it’s easy to see why United are rumoured to be ready to pay such a sum. Varane, simply put, is one of the very best young centre-backs on the planet, with the 21-year-old already a regular for France and Real Madrid – giants of the international and club game – showing that he must have that special something.

Very much the new breed of defender, the former Lens man is adept on the ball, quick across the turf and intelligent when reading the game.

Mats Hummels

The long-term Louis van Gaal target, Hummels looks to be back on the club’s radar. United chased the German World Cup winner throughout summer 2014 but ultimately failed to land him, yet Dortmund’s underwhelming season may leave the wider more open this time around.

Widely regarded as the best centre back around, Hummels is commanding, strong, quick and excellent with the ball at his feet. Ideal for LVG’s much used 3-4-3 system if he goes back to it.

Nicolas Otamendi

Rugged and fierce in the tackle, Otamendi is a little ‘old school’ when it comes to the art of defending, which certainly has its place despite the changing nature of the game. An uncompromising centre-back, the Argentine has been a key member of the resurgent Valencia side, who look on course to get back into the Champions League thanks, in part, to the heavy investment of new owner Peter Lim.

A release clause-triggering offer of close to £40m may be needed, but Otamendi can also play at right-back, which will come as a boost for LVG given that he’s been using Antonio Valencia in the role.

Stefan de Vrij

A player coached by Van Gaal at the World Cup last summer, De Vrij has emerged as a target for the coming transfer window of late. He opted to join Lazio at the start of the current campaign, but even though he’s been in Rome for less than 12 months, United are said to be keen.

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The 23-year-old is adept at centre-back and was a key part of Feyenoord’s impressive 2013/14 side, forming a solid partnership with Bruno Martins Indi – now at Porto.

Jose Gimenez

Even tough a more experienced head may be of use at United right now, Atletico Madrid’s rising star Gimenez is an option. The 20-year-old has forced his way into the La Liga champions’ first team this season, and his bravery alongside countryman Diego Godin has been enough to keep Joao Miranda out of Diego Simeone’s XI.

Atleti are unlikely to be open to the idea of offloading the Uruguayan, but United have the financial muscle to potentially turn their heads.

When Wayne Rooney first burst onto the scene as a fresh faced youngster with that all-mighty strike against Arsenal in 2002, Premier League fans throughout the land pretty much took note in unison – for a new hero of English football had seemingly been born.

And this time around, it wasn’t all born out of pure hype and speculation as is normally the case with young emerging English talents. The 16-year-old Wayne Rooney really was the real deal. He had just as much potential as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo would have been subject to in their younger days, and if it wasn’t for a few frustratingly timed injuries, the powerful striker really could have done the business in the Three Lions shirt as well.

Who knows how far England could have gone in Euro 2004 if Rooney wasn’t forcibly replaced by Darius Vassell in that all important quarter-final with Portugal…

Since making that faithful move to Old Trafford many moons ago though, just how well has the now 29-year-old’s career ultimately played out? Has the promising talent fulfilled the lofty expectations that were initially set upon his head as a teenager, or has Wayne Rooney in-fact greatly underachieved as a Manchester United player in the long run?

The answer – whilst certainly arriving as a somewhat cloudy one – seemingly disappoints in that all too familiar English way. Today Wayne Rooney is sadly a shadow of his former self. He may have gone on to achieve a great deal in the game, English football may indeed be left better off thanks to the striker’s contribution – but ultimately – the player himself simply could have been so much more if circumstances would have allowed.

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Within the ever testing realms of top-flight English football, Rooney’s initially incredible start at Old Trafford has only since deteriorated in recent years. The former Everton fan favourite used to be unpredictable – he was once so powerful in front of goal with his bustling approach that even the league’s very best defenders would inevitably have to move out of his way when things were going well for the striker. The impressionable young man wasn’t scared of any opportunity. He would take on shots from all over the pitch – and nine times out of ten – the results would be more than successful for his team.

Today though, Wayne Rooney is utilised by Louis van Gaal as if he has never played as an out-in-out striker before. Yes he is Manchester United’s current top goal-scorer which is a testament to the player himself – but when you consider that QPR’s Charlie Austin has proved more efficient in front of goal whilst playing for a relegation fearing side in 2014/15 – such an achievement is hardly as impressive as it sounds.

The Wazza of the modern era is seemingly played all over the pitch for reasons unbeknownst to most of the footballing community. Rooney just isn’t naturally a deeper-lying midfielder, he doesn’t operate nearly as well on the flanks either, so unless he is given his proper responsibility as a real attacking striker, the player is pretty much wasted on most occasions.

Perhaps, however, Van Gaal is just the latest in a long line of managers to fall victim to this particular trap – with such a turnaround in events originating from Sir Alex Ferguson himself. For all his perceived know-how in the Premier League era, the Scotsman may have just been the real source behind Wayne Rooney’s downfall.

During the Ferguson era at Old Trafford, the England striker was over-worked and over-run all because several of Manchester United’s other star talents, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, were sensationally sold off without being properly replaced. Wayne Rooney therefore had to make up for their loss all over the park – which has subsequently meant that his most natural position and original pace and power have simply dwindled at Manchester United as his career has played out.

It must be remembered of course that Wayne Rooney still remains a good player however, but today it just wouldn’t be right to call him a world class star any more.

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Defences simply don’t fear him in the way they previously did, too many games pass the striker by without offering a great deal for his team – and as for his later performances in an England shirt and solitary World Cup goal – Wayne Rooney just hasn’t turned out to be the player everyone was hoping he would be when he first broke onto the scene as that fresh faced 16-year-old.

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Robin van Persie has returned to training prior to Manchester United’s huge clash with local rivals Manchester City, and manager Louis van Gaal may even find room for the Dutch striker to start. But with United finally having seemed to turn the corner following comprehensive victories over Tottenham, Liverpool and Aston Villa; are they better off without the ageing Van Persie?

The 31 year old’s last outing for The Red Devils was in the 2-1 reverse away at Swansea in February. Since his ankle injury, United have won five games on the spin and catapulted themselves not only into the top four places, but on to the peripheries of the title race.

The Dutchman’s absence has meant Wayne Rooney has finally been given the forward role he so craves, in the process kick starting his most potent run of form of the campaign. Rooney is their captain and their talisman, getting the best out of him invariably leads to the side performing at a much higher level.

In Van Persie’s absence, Van Gaal has adopted a system that seems to suit his players a great deal more. Aside from Rooney’s upturn in form, Mata has enjoyed some of his best moments in a red shirt in the last few weeks – none more so than his virtuoso display against Liverpool. Would Mata have had the freedom to attack so freely had Robin been in his usual striking positions? Doubtful.

In addition to the two aforementioned players, Marouane Fellaini is finally beginning to flourish in a Manchester United shirt, after 18 months of disappointment and resentment from the Old Trafford terraces; the Belgian is finally starting to show why he commanded such a high transfer fee.

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The former Arsenal man’s injury has also meant that Ashley Young has been able to have a genuine run of games in his favoured position and for the first time since his switch from Aston Villa, he is showing glimpses of the man who was central to the national side.

Not only have United seemingly found the right balance without Van Persie and players undoubtedly performing better; his form prior to the injury was been patchy at best – only ten goals and all round performances that are no longer befitting to the once most deadly striker in the English game.

There have been a few moments this year that have shown his real quality, but the moments are becoming ever more fleeting with every passing week and injury.

At the age of 31,Van Persie should by no means be written off. A man of his talent, with the record he possesses, deserves a great deal more respect than that. But the current United side are noticeably better at this point without him. This is not to say a host of clubs wouldn’t clamber for his signature – his talents are still a rarity in the modern game; he is an uncompromising goal scorer with technique that few in the world can rival.

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At this point in Van Gaal’s United career it may serve him to be ruthless to one of his most trusted lieutenants, for the good of the team.

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