Manchester derby: United's Rooney and Van Persie becoming strike pairing rest of the Prem feared they'd be
Manchester derby: United's Rooney and Van Persie becoming strike pairing rest of the Prem feared they'd be
Partnership had teething troubles last season as Fergie
played the Englishman out of position but now they're both up front and
firing
Dynamic duo: Rooney and Van Persie "unbelievable" says teammate Carrick
John Peters
When Robin van Persie made his £24million move to Manchester United,
he said the chance to play with Wayne Rooney was a major factor in his
decision.
Van Persie was relishing the opportunity to establish a
strike partnership with Rooney, with the Dutchman spearheading the
attack and the England forward playing just off him in his preferred
No.10 role.
It didn’t quite work out that way last season.
Injuries
to Rooney, his deployment as an emergency midfielder and subsequent
fall from grace under Sir Alex Ferguson all combined to prevent the
partnership from flourishing.
Van Persie may have plundered 30 goals, but of the Old Trafford giants’
54 matches last season, he and Rooney started only 24 together,
confirmation the pair have not had enough game-time to maximise the full
potential of their strike partnership.
There were sporadic glimpses of their understanding, notably the majestic lofted ball Rooney provided for van Persie to score a sublime volley in the title-clinching 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Old Trafford in April, voted Goal of the Season.
But those moments were few and far between.
This season however, there are signs of Rooney and van Persie forming a formidable alliance. Saturday’s 2-0 win over Crystal Palace was the first time since December that the pair had figured on the same scoresheet.
They then repeated that feat in Tuesday’s 4-2 Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen.
In the aftermath of that win, Rooney was quick to quash any whiff of a rift with van Persie
over a perceived issue of which one was considered United’s
first-choice striker - and the Dutchman lavished praise on his
team-mate’s qualities.
“I love to play with Wayne, as he can do
everything,” said van Persie. “He can drop, he can go in behind, he can
play the short and the long game.”
United midfielder Michael Carrick was equally effusive in his
assessment of Rooney’s current form and fitness, with the 27-year-old
looking leaner and sharper than he has for some time.
“I think
that was as good as I have seen Wayne in a while,” said Carrick. “He was
sharp and hungry, his movement and touch was great, everything was
there. It showed what a player he is. It’s great for us to have him in
that form.
“Wayne and Robin are two unbelievable players. What
they can bring is fantastic. Even if they’ve been quiet in a game, the
chances are they can pop up with a goal or create something. To have two
players up front doing that is great.”
The partnership between
Rooney and van Persie could not be coming to fruition at a better time
for United, ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium -
the first meeting this season between the Premier League’s top two of
the past couple of years.
New United boss David Moyes has stated
he has no intention of playing Rooney in a deeper-lying midfield role or
out wide, as his predecessor Ferguson did at times.
The newly-installed Old Trafford boss is adamant Rooney's best position is in attack.
And
United defender Rio Ferdinand believes Rooney and van Persie have the
potential to strike up an understanding to stand comparison with the
club’s very best front pairings, while being mindful not to dismiss the
value of Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez.
“It’s all there for everyone to see,” said Ferdinand of the potential partnership between Rooney and van Persie.
“But
it’s not just them two. The delight that the manager has got with the
squad, is that you have people like Chicharito and Danny Welbeck waiting
in the wings as well to play, who deserve time on the pitch as well
because their ability demands that.
“That’s been the whole point
of this club, all the time since the former manager was bringing in four
strikers like Teddy [Sheringham], Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer], Dwight
[Yorke] and [Andy] Coley.
“It’s been the staple of the club since
then. Time will tell if it [Rooney and van Persie] will be one of the
great partnerships. But I think nowadays it’s hard to get just a
partnership between two players - you have to share the load between
four.”
Rooney became only the fourth player in club history to hit the 200-goal mark with his brace in the win over Leverkusen.
Afterwards the striker, who was keen to leave for Chelsea in the summer, spoke of beating Sir Bobby Charlton’s United record of 249 goals.
Ferdinand
feels Rooney has that record within his grasp and said it all depends
on the striker himself as to whether he can eclipse Charlton’s
milestone, which has stood for 40 years.
“He’s got a chance to go
on and make history now for the club,” said the defender. “It’s up to
him to do that. I think he’s a fantastic footballer, everyone knows
that, it’s not in doubt. He’s here now, playing well, and long may it
continue.
“It’s important to have him back. When you’ve got
players on your staff who are capable of doing what he’s doing, you want
them in prime, tip-top condition. He’s no different.”
Despite the
level of anticipation surrounding Sunday's derby, Ferdinand claimed
we'll have to wait until Christmas to make a realistic assessment of
each side’s title credentials.
“These games take care of
themselves,” said Ferdinand. “It’s good to get a win, yes, but these
games, regardless of the results previous, take care of themselves.
“It
remains to be seen [whether City bought well enough this summer to win
the title]. I think it’s too early to speak about how individuals are
doing.
“You’ll get a better bearing by Christmas. But we’re more concerned about ourselves - and we’ve got very good players here.”
Ferdinand
said he was not surprised to see City lose at Cardiff and draw at
Stoke, or Chelsea defeated at Everton, claiming the results proved the
level of competition within the top flight.
“It’s the quality of
the Premier League,” he insisted. “We know that teams are going to take
points off the so-called top teams.”
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