In a rare admission of failure, Sir Alex Ferguson has acknowledged he may have been responsible for blunting Wayne Rooney by playing him out of position.
The location of Rooney's best position is still open to debate, not least because he has rarely occupied the same role for Manchester United for a sustained period.
Last season, in order to accommodate Cristiano Ronaldo as a centre-forward, Rooney even found himself being asked to operate as a backtracking left-winger.
"We need to define his role better," conceded Ferguson said. "And I think I have to take a bit of responsibility for that.
"I think he sacrificed himself for the team, which says a lot about the lad because he never complained. We've played him wide and in other positions.
"He will score goals...but we kept using him in different positions. In the European Cup final, when Chelsea got control in the second half, we had to stem that and play three midfielders, and once we did that we controlled the game again.
"He will score goals. He scored a couple against Aston Villa after not scoring for seven or eight games and I thought that would have catapulted him into a good run, but we kept using him in different positions - he would play centre-half if you asked him to.
"I think his best position is through the middle, either a front role or tucking in just behind. He is aggressive, has got two good feet, good pace, has the courage to go into the box. There's no reason he can't get a good supply of goals."
Ferguson's remarks could be interpreted as a calculated ploy to mollify Rooney whose volatile temperament has come under scrutiny again during United's pre-season tour of South Africa.
The England forward has also had to face fresh criticism over his lifestyle after he was outed by newspapers as a smoker.
To date, Rooney has never scored more than 16 league goals in a season, a modest tally that Ferguson believes will be bettered once he enjoys the company of an experienced centre-forward alongside him.
"He may have benefited by having someone with more experience alongside him," said Ferguson.
"That always happens with young strikers. At 22, he was never going to be the finished article.
"We signed him for his potential, which is why we paid £26 million for him. In a few years' time, we will be saying that is really brilliant business."
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Comment 1 - 9 of 9
Fergie.. well spotted. Hope keep his words..
It is as hard to define Rooney's position in football as it is hard to define his character. You cannot predict on Rooney people. However from what Sir Alex is saying, I think his days in the team are numbered let alone his football career. Ronaldo has had to score goals for Man U, I am praying that he goes so that people can see Rooney for who he is. Understand me, he is an outstanding player mind,its just that there is a person in him whom he cannot control and that person is vital if Rooney is to lead his club to glory this season or to progress in his career. If Man U dumps him, I don't know what other big club would be interested in him.
rooney is awesome, i wanna see more goals from him, like he wants to see himselfbut it is true, that he was playing left wing, right wing all over at times last year as ronaldo was playing up front, that wont happen this year once we finally get around to buying burbatov or hunteelar... even if rooney doesnt score goals though it really doesnt matter becasue the boy is a bull dog, how many times has he won the ball in the oppositions half from shear determination and complete aggression, how many defenders has he dragged away from other players, mainly ronaldo last year, how many defenders has he harrassed and scared, just like tevez who didnt score enough either, rooney isint all about goals, he is about making goals and defending through a strong attack.
Rooney will never be a 20 goal a season player. He is however a vital part of the Utd team in a creative sense and also one of the reasons why Ronaldo managed to score over 40 goals last season. He's willing to sacrifice himself for the good of the team, drop back and set up other players, something Ronaldo wouldn't find happening at Real Madrid with goal hungry players in the form of Nistelrooy, Robinho and Raul.
In response to comment #5 by mhhcentremanager. Well done for plucking random statistics out of the air. If your stats were true, then with a 95% failure rate whilst without Rooney, Man U must have lost 20 games atleast. As if they only lost one game with Rooney, making up the 5% to make 100%, they would need to lose 19 games without him to make that stat true. Would you like to change your statement?
Theres no doubt that Rooney has great potential and if Ronaldo goes, I could perhaps see him tucking in behind a front two of Berbatov and Tevez, with Carrick, Hargreaves and Scholes making a three-man midfield. For me that set up would bring the best out of Rooney, and provide the indicator whether he can really be world class.
I love Man U, the thing is Ronaldo can never be the player he is or Man u the team that it is without Rooney. He is without doubt the heartbeat of this team. It's no coincidence that the few times that Rooney did not play last season, ended with Man U losing 95% of the games that he did not take part in, that says a lot about the man. It is good Fergie is admitting that Rooney needs more support and a clearly defined role within the team. It can only help his game and possibly sometimes his frustrations that come out on the pitch.
How many players in the Prem have scored more than 16 league goals in a season over the past 3 years????? Answer: not many.
that,s why we should sell ronaldo and give rooney and tevez there time to shine
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