Rooney exhibits expert timing in answering country’s call for goals
While there were plenty of people quick to wish Wayne Rooney well on Tuesday night when he scored his 200th Premier League goal, there might not have been many in the home crowd. Manchester City’s fans are probably sick of the sight of a player who has now scored 13 times against them for Everton and Manchester United, including his 50th, 150th and now his 200th league goals.
Rooney became only the second player to reach the milestone and the man he joined in the 200 club, Alan Shearer, and his Everton manager, Ronald Koeman, both paid tribute. His former manager will have allowed himself a smile too. Jose Mourinho was in attendance to see the player he let go this summer help take points off Pep Guardiola’s side. But perhaps the happiest will be another man in the stands: England manager Gareth Southgate.
The Three Lions boss names his latest squad on Thursday for the World Cup qualifi ers against Malta and Slovakia, and England’s record scorer is returning to form at just the right time. Rooney has not featured for his country since November, missing one squad through injury and being rightly left out at the end of last season because of the “good form” of other players.
That’s no longer the case. In two league games this season, Rooney has struck his side’s only goals – one the winner against Stoke City on the opening day and the other in the 1- 1 draw on Tuesday night. Two games, two starts and two goals. It’s a stark contrast to last season when he was not starting regularly for his club, lost his place for his country and scored just eight times all season.
While Rooney is enjoying a purple patch since swapping red for his boyhood blue, the same can not be said for the three strikers named for the last England matches: Harry Kane, Jermain Defoe and Marcus Rashford.
Kane, a notoriously slow starter who has never scored a Premier League goal in the month of August, has struggled in front of goal in Tottenham Hotspur’s opening matches. His toils were typifi ed against Chelsea at Wembley last weekend where he took a career- high eight shots in a game without scoring, although he did hit the post.
The Premier League Golden Boot for last season, Kane’s place is not under threat from a resurgent Rooney. Defoe can’t be so sure, though. Defoe swapped Sunderland for Bournemouth in the summer but is yet to start for the Cher- ries in the league this season, with manager Eddie Howe suggesting he isn’t fi t enough. He’s not had a shot in two appearances from the bench – and only had three touches in 31 minutes against Watford on Saturday.
Finally, Rashford. The young Manchester United man doesn’t deserve to lose his place on account of being the future of the forward line for the Three Lions but he has yet to score this campaign. Despite playing on the wing, he has had plenty of chances and would have opened his account but for the width of the post.
Southgate doesn’t have many options. Charlie Austin, Jamie Vardy and Danny Welbeck are the only other English forwards to have scored this season. He would hope Rooney answers the call.