Premiership returns, but what’s next for Rooney?

GLACIAL is the word that springs to mind when contemplating international breaks these days — every few weeks the hurly burly of the Premier League gives way to a version of the same sport that operates at a snail’s pace.

That is not just watching England either.

Time seems to stand still for the whole of the process, making Wayne Rooney losing his place a five-day drip-feed of suggestion, confirmation, reaction and then attempted rehabilitation, with the eventual match a bolted-on afterthought that leaves the landscape oddly unchanged, save for the somewhat surprising discovery that hardcore England fans believe Sam Allardyce was harshly treated.

Football supporters normally cannot wait for the domestic programme to start up again and it is tempting to believe managers and players feel the same way.

For managers the intrusion of international football into the season has long been an irritation.

At best, clubs get their players back tired and often late, with those involved in southern hemisphere fixtures frequently returning from long flights only a day or two before the next league match.

At worst, players might pick up an injury while playing or even training for their country. Rooney already had a fight on his hands to recover his firstteam place and establish a role for himself in José Mourinho’s reshaped side and now he returns with his England future also in doubt.