In his press conference on Friday Louis van Gaal emphatically exploded the myth that Wayne Rooney was injured in the run up to the derby on Sunday.
‘He shall play. He is my captain.’
For those of us who have always thought of the Manchester United star as a top (yet still underrated) player and a decent guy it’s really marvellous to hear the new manager speaking about Rooney like this.
The England captain has looked close to leaving United more than once but LvG saw the class of the lad as soon as he took the job – he’s a proper football man after all – and he did exactly the right thing to make Rooney the new Manchester United captain.
You just get an added feeling of security when Wazza is playing – like having your older brother with you as you approach the school bully. You know that Rooney will give his all and stand up to City. He won’t waste the ball. He’ll be absolutely everywhere – United’s best defender, midielder and attacker – and may just top it all off with the sort of rare brilliance that only a handful of players can call upon.
The only concern going into this one is what impact Rooney’s enforced absence through suspension will have. He’s the type of player who needs regular games to find his rhythm but he did play twice for England in October to dust himself down.
Either way no Manchester United fan should get complacent about what Rooney brings to the party. With him, they can still form a title challenge. But without his extraordinary array of qualities United would be an altogether less serious proposition.
Click here to see Louis’s press conference
