The Republik of Mancunia: Love him or loathe him, Wayne Rooney deserves his record

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There was something particularly fitting about the way Wayne Rooney broke Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record on Saturday to write his name in the history books. With the odds stacked against his side, Rooney produced a superb finish, the kind of late goal that epitomised Manchester United during the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

However, while under Jose Mourinho United are hoping to rediscover the spark that characterised them for the best part of Fergie’s tenure, for Rooney, who made his name under the Scot, a return to the glory days of old appears unlikely.

United’s all-time top scorer is entering the home stretch of his career, his powers have been on the vane for a while and he has lost his starting spot for both club and country. Rooney’s decline over the last couple of seasons has offered his detractors plenty of ammunition to fire at the former Evertonian, exacerbating a tendency that has seen Rooney fail to win the unconditioned adulation some of his peers, even those less successful than him, commanded and continue to command.

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