Rooney: I’d swap goal record for Sir Bob’s Lions glory
WAYNE Rooney admits he would swap his all-time goalscoring record with United to follow in Sir Bobby Charlton’s footsteps by winning the World Cup with England.
The 31-year-old equalled Sir Bobby’s long-standing club record of 249 goals last January and broke it just three weeks later with a last-minute free-kick against Stoke.
Rooney was presented with a commemorative Golden Boot by Sir Bobby to acknowledge the achievement after reaching the landmark four seasons quicker than the United legend.
But Rooney, who retired from international duty shortly after returning to boyhood club Everton last summer, admits he would happily swap it for World Cup glory.
“His records have stood for so long. He was such a great player, so to get those records of his is something I was extremely proud of,” he said.
“He was happy but also a bit disappointed, which I can completely understand.
“Sir Bobby still has the one record we’d all really love to have – being part of the only England team to win the World Cup.
“I’d definitely give him back those goalscoring records in exchange for a World Cup winners medal – if only I could!” AS United’s boisterous squad joked around inside the centre circle of the VEB Arena, there was one noticeable absence from open training. Two in fact.
Phil Jones and Antonio Valencia were nowhere to be seen on the eve of a crucial Champions League group game against CSKA Moscow.
Jose Mourinho had neglected to mention their absences despite referencing Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Michael Carrick’s inju- ries in his pre-match press conference only minutes earlier.
But this is a United squad that can, finally, afford to rest those key defenders who put in a colossal shift against Southampton. And still emerge with a 4-1 win in the Moscow chill.
Prevention and recovery has been the key – Mourinho has even started using the reserve games to ease rusty players like Eric Bailly, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young back in.
A sensible approach, away from criticising his players for not pushing through the pain barrier, has been paying dividends with a com- mitted squad. That is the reason why Jones has played every minute of every Premier League game this season and why United’s injured party will not be rushed back to action.
Paul Pogba, for example, picked up his second hamstring injury in five months against Basel last month but rather than focusing on a potential time frame, Mourinho has kept talk about the injury to a relative minimum.
The Portuguese has a macho attitude towards injuries, particularly since first coming to England back in 2004, and generally avoids players if they are on the treatment table.
It is a deliberate tactic – he instead talks up who could come into the side – but Mourinho is kept up to date on the players’ progress behind the scenes.
As much as that infuriates the injured party, encouraging them to get back into their manager’s eyeline, it also boosts their replacement.
Marouane Fellaini, benefiting from a manager who believes in him, has scored three goals since replacing Pogba that night and only an injury on international duty has prevented him starting against Liverpool. Given how Jones and Romelu Lukaku appeared to pick up knocks before their international call-ups, this is the one preventable blow Mourinho will lament. Fellaini, despite missing Belgium’s first training session of the week with a knock, tumbled on a Sarajevo pitch Kevin de Bruyne hissed was the worst he had played on since he was seven. The unexpected blow opens the door for Ander Herrera, but leaves United with seven players on the treatment table: Fellaini, Lukaku, Jones, Pogba, Carrick, Ibrahimovic and Marcos Rojo. The test now is to ensure that does not escalate in the coming weeks and months. United’s squad crumbled as the season progressed last season