It has taken far longer than anyone at Manchester United would have anticipated, but Wayne Rooney’s seventh-minute goal against Reading saw him finally equal Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time club record of 249 competitive goals in a United shirt.
Having missed easier chances before and after the effort, which was actually scored with his knee, Rooney should have walked off the pitch at the end of this FA Cup tie having moved ahead of Charlton to claim the record for himself.
Rooney’s 250th United goal will inevitably come at some point in the coming weeks, but even in matching the record, the England captain raised questions about his position in Jose Mourinho’s team.
Rooney plays best without Ibrahimovic
The 31-year-old played in a No. 10 role behind central striker Marcus Rashford, as manager Jaap Stam’s Championship outfit were brushed aside by the cup holders. And Rashford impressed, certainly during a first-half in which United dominated.
His pace stretched the game in United’s favour and gave Rooney an outlet through the middle, while Anthony Martial’s movement down the left also played into Rooney’s hands — it was a Rooney layoff to Martial that led to the Frenchman’s scoring United’s second.
But while Rooney excelled in his role just off the front man in his first appearance in three weeks, the question of whether he can prove as impressive alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains unanswered.
Ibrahimovic, who Mourinho gave a rest on the bench for this game, is a certain starter when United resume Premier League duties against Liverpool next week, but his game is the polar opposite of Rashford’s, and he will not offer Rooney the same options as the young England forward.
With pace around him, Rooney can be hugely influential in the final third, but he and Ibrahimovic tend to be drawn into the same areas when they play together.
He and Ibrahimovic are both top-quality players, and they will work to make their partnership better, but Mourinho has a dilemma now that Rooney is fit and scoring again.
No need for panic over Rojo injury
Defender Marcos Rojo’s injury-enforced substitution on 19 minutes is a problem that Mourinho could do without, after Eric Bailly’s recent departure for the African Nations Cup.
With Bailly likely to be away until mid-February with Ivory Coast, Mourinho has said he needs his defence to avoid injury in January to spare an unwanted move into the transfer market.
But while the sight of Rojo limping down the tunnel will prompt inevitable speculation — linking United with moves for Southampton’s Jose Fonte or Benfica’s Victor Lindelof — the reality is that Mourinho still has good options in the absence of the Argentine.
Luke Shaw is now fit to return to action, and the England left-back is expected to figure against Hull City in the EFL Cup semifinal first leg on Tuesday. With Shaw available again, Daley Blind’s versatility ensures that the Dutchman can be deployed at centre-back alongside either Phil Jones or Chris Smalling.
Timothy Fosu-Mensah is another possibility, while Mourinho is keen to promote emerging youngster Axel Tuanzebe to the first team after impressing in the reserves.
Rojo did not appear to be badly injured as he left the field, with his departure perhaps a precautionary measure to avoid aggravating the problem. But if United can avoid further injuries at the back this month, they do not need to rush into the market for reinforcements.
