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Pogba takes the reigns from Rooney in rampant Fenerbahce victory

By on October 20, 2016

It’s somewhat ironic that Wayne Rooney still occupies so much column space in the media. That the Manchester United and England captain talisman is no longer the center of attention on the pitch has, naturally, made him the subject of many heated arguments over the future of his club and country.

Rooney made his first club start for United in nearly a month in their Europa League clash against Fenerbahce on Thursday night, having been consigned to a bench role in each of United’s last four games. Yet Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard did the heavy lifting in United’s 4-1 victory and it was more apparent than ever that Rooney is becoming an increasingly platonic figurehead for United on the pitch.

Pogba ran the show in the middle, scoring a fantastic brace and supplying Anthony Martial and Lingard on the wings in a bright, attacking United lineup. Juan Mata was also influential in an attacking midfield role, winning an early penalty for United courtesy of his quick feet in the middle, and even Michael Carrick was important as a counterbalance to Pogba’s youthful exuberance in the middle.

Rooney was somewhere on the periphery. He was involved in the buildup play for Pogba’s second goal, pouncing on a stray Fenerbahce pass to initiate the play, and he also set up Lingard’s strike in the second half. Yet these two moments of class primarily served to highlight how ineffectual he was the rest of the night.

Although Rooney is usually United’s designated penalty taker, he let Pogba convert United’s first goal upon request, which was a remarkable act of unselfishness given that the thirty-year-old is only three goals away from Bobby Charlton’s all-time goalscoring record for the Red Devils. However, it remains to be seen whether Rooney can do United any greater benefit than simply stepping out of the way for the likes of Pogba, Lingard and Martial and Mata to flourish.

The trio combined to put United out of sight by the break, with Martial converting a low penalty after being tripped on the counter-attack from Mata’s through ball. Pogba smashed home a firecracker on the brink of the half and Lingard finished it off with a fine strike of his own on the other side of the half.

However, Chris Smalling’s early injury was of concern for United and Robin van Persie denied nicked in behind his marker to pull one back for Fenerbahce late on, marking his much-vaunted return to Old Trafford with a goal.

Yet it was only a small speed bump on a breezy night for United. They will undoubtedly endure much rougher nights in the coming months, and certainly more clinical opponents than Fenerbache. In those times of need, Rooney’s leadership and experience cannot be underestimated. That said, Thursday night’s victory was also proof that a new generation of United stars are ready to take over the reigns at Old Trafford.

Homepage photo credit: Tsutomu Takasu [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.