What to do with Rooney?

Jose Mourinho is facing the biggest question of his short reign as Manchester United manager: What to do with Wayne Rooney?

While most of United's top players were benched or rested entirely for the English League game against third-tier Northampton on Wednesday, Rooney played the full 90 minutes less than three days before a big Premier League match against champion Leicester.

There could be two explanations for this selection: Mourinho either wanted his captain out on the field to lead the team in a potentially tricky away cup tie; or there's a chance Rooney could be left out at the weekend. In a terse television interview before the Northampton game, Mourinho was twice asked what he wanted from Rooney.

"Goals," came the reply from the stern-faced Portuguese coach, both times.

United won 3-1 but Rooney, who started the match as a central striker before dropping deeper in the second half, did not score.

It seems strange to spend USD 116 million on a player and not adapt the team to Saint-Germain, his former club.

But his tendency to improvise on a whim can also unbalance teams. For example, if Ibrahimovic is dropping deep to get more involved in play then that space is already being occupied by Rooney.

Given the presence of Pogba and Ibrahimovic, a 4-3-3 formation with no authentic No. 10 could be the way forward for United.