It’s confirmed, Wayne Rooney is the new Manchester United captain. Louis van Gaal announced Nemanja Vidic’s successor after United’s last minute 2-1 win over Valencia in their final pre-season game. Defending his decision to name Darren Fletcher vice-captain, a move that raised one or two eyebrows, van Gaal said, “Darren is a natural leader and will captain the team when Wayne isn’t playing. Darren is a very experienced player and a very popular member of the dressing room.” Whatever about Fletcher’s appointment coming as a bit of a shock, Rooney’s shouldn’t. If all goes swimmingly at Old Trafford this month, Wazza might very well be the next England captain. At the age of 28, has the once balding boy become a man?
When the news broke, social media outlets experienced a meltdown that made Charlie Sheen’s malfunction look normal. Preposterous tweets about rewarding betrayal and questioning the striker’s ability were like hillbillies at a Billy Ray Cyrus concert, they were everywhere. To be perfectly honest, apart from Robin van Persie, there is simply no player at United that can compete with Rooney’s repute. He is now the figurehead, the Christopher to Tony Soprano, played perfectly by Mr. van Gaal. For many, Wayne is the club’s one essential player, and United’s greatest moments in recent years have arrived when the powerful predator has been in top form. Whether a piece of fabric can inspire more moments of greatness, well, that remains to be seen.
Although Roy Keane and Patrick Viera were assigned the role of captain, these men were leaders with or without an armband. Like Rooney, they were born to lead, you cannot teach that, it is innate, it is a deep rooted desire. In the end, hasn’t Rooney always been an undesignated leader? Some say captaincy merely involves the coin toss, a few extra interviews, maybe lifting the odd trophy, that its significance is actually not that significant. I tend to disagree, even though the prestige is partially taken away when anyone can be offered the armband once the captain is substituted. Similar to a bride throwing the bouquet at her wedding, anyone can hope to catch the prestigious ‘accessory’.
Louis van Gaal doesn’t do things half-assed, apart from selecting his barber. Let’s be honest, it isn’t the greatest look, but the decision to appoint Rooney as skipper was taken with great care. Captaincy involves so much more than 90 minutes of football; it’s about setting an example on and off the pitch, so no more granny antics, Wayne, are you reading? Unsurprisingly, from Martin Luther King to Frank Drebin, history’s finest leaders are those who reach great feats. When we look at John Terry and Vincent Kompany, these men fit the mould, but does Wayne Rooney? Many would say yes, but Rooney must observe the way Terry operates. A man who regularly takes advantage of his position, Terry frequently applies pressure on officials and this can influence the final outcome of any game. Say what you like about JT, he is a fantastic footballer and a fantastic captain.
Unlike the days of Tony Adams and Gary Speed, the ‘wear your heart on your sleeve’ approach to captaincy has diminished; perhaps this is down to an influx of foreign players and coaches, for whom the armband means something slightly different. While captaincy doesn’t mean Rooney must give Tom Cleverly a ride to training, it does come with extra responsibilities; Roy Hodgson will be studying his appointment closely. Up to now, Rooney was at the mercy of his potency in front of goal; however, both his leadership and goal scoring credentials are up for debate from this week on.
Obviously impressed with Rooney’s attitude, the Dutchman’s decision had a touch of subtlety to it. Without Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, a man who captained the club for three years before leaving for Inter Milan, United are low on real characters, men who will go an extra mile to ensure victory. And this brings us on to United’s REAL problem; a lack or true quality.
On paper, certainly, van Gaal’s squad lacks the sheer class of Manchester City and Chelsea, their two main rivals. Even Liverpool, who must try and cope with the loss of Jaws incarnate, Luis Suarez, seem to possess a superior squad, as contentious as that may sound. Nevertheless, the prospect of United muscling their way back in to Premier League contention is definitely there, but to challenge in this current campaign they must sign at least one top class central defender ASAP. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, at their zenith, were one of the best defensive pairings ever to grace a football field, and the defensive options at Van Gaal’s disposal are not exactly title winning material. While Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Jonny Evans often look promising, as of now, they do not possess the muscle, speed or overall knowledge which are necessary for consistent, point accumulating performances.
Although United beat Roma, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Valencia in the past couple of weeks, The Red Devils’ squad looks so meagre that further substantial surgery is necessary before the summer window shuts. Yes, the arrogance and conviction looks to be back, but do United have the players to successfully implement a 3-5-2 formation for an entire season? In a defensive sense, absolutely not, especially since news broke that Luke Shaw has been ruled out for a month. If the manager really wants to play three central defenders throughout this gruelling campaign, then his options are borderline farcical. The aforementioned trio of Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Johnny Evans are van Gaal’s only senior alternatives, while Tyler Blackett and Michael Keane are very much untried and untested. United’s current squad means it might be some time before we see any long-lasting, stimulating, sexy football. To ease any fears, perhaps the signing of Vidal or Daley Blind could be the proverbial Viagra needed to cure last season’s impotency.
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