Rooney decline is burnout

Pundit compares it to case of Owen

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson fears too much too young means ManchesterUnited captain Wayne Rooney is already in decline.

Rooney has been resticted to a substitute’s role in this club’s most recent four games, while England’s leading scorer also lost his place in the Three Lions team in Slovenia last week.

This week marks the 14 th anniversar y of Rooney’s first top-flight goal – for Everton against Arsenal. But ahead of his 31st birthday on Monday, the forward is no longer first choice for either club or country.

Lawrenson thinks time has already caught up with Rooney, citing the career of Michael Owen, who exited the game at 33 having slowed down considerably from the teenager who first emerged at Liverpool.

“When the legs go that’s i t , ” said Lawrenson. “Rooney is still a very talented player but if you can’t get around the pitch you’ve got to find a position where you want to play.

“He’ll play lots of games for Manchester United, they’re not suddenly going to let him go. But he’s had an unbelievable career. It’s a bit like with Michael Owen, who burst on to the scene when he was really young, as did Wayne Rooney, he was 16 when he scored that wondergoal against Arsenal.

“I think the reason Rooney is coming to the end early is because he was a beast of a man when he was 16, as he is now. That’s just the way it is. It’s a bit like tennis players, some go from 18 until 25, some get to their 30s.”

Lawrenson can speak from a position of experience. The former Republic of Ireland international, who was inducted into the National Football Museum’s Hall of Fame on Wednesdaynight, madehis professional bow with Preston as a teenager but signed off from the game shortly after turning 30. He added: “People say that’s early but when I was 18 and I made my Preston debut I was still at school.”

Lawrenson’s playing days were effectively ended as soon as he left Liverpool, with only a season in America following his trophyladen spell at Anfield. However, the 59-year-old thinks Rooney can prolong his career. He added: “Even if he doesn’t play for Manchester United, someone else will take him because players don’t lose their intelligence and he’s got a fantastic football brain.”

“When the legs go, that’s it but he’s still very talented”

ROONEY ON THE RUN: Wayne Rooney gets clear of Fenerbahce’s Mehmet Topal during Manchester United’s Europa League Group Amatch at Old Trafford last night. United won 4-1 with a first-half brace of goals from Paul Pogba, one a penalty, and an Anthony...