[boundngag]

Whenever Man Utd are mentioned in any context, by any any pundit, the phrase 'Wayne Rooney is world class' is usually repeated needlessly. Them repeating the same phrase over and over again may help them to believe it more, but it doesn't make it any more true. Does Rooney ever perform on the big stage? No. Has he ever made the difference against the best opponents at international level or in the champions league? No, he doesn't; he tends to go missing and/or foul people. Surely world class players don't only perform against inferior opponents (or a team of chokers, such as Arsenal)? Surely world class players would play above themselves, even in an inferior team, to enable them to achieve results they would not otherwise be able to achieve. Has Wayne Rooney done this for Man Utd this season? No, he has not. I don't believe he is world class. I don't think he ever has been or ever will be. I also think that his technical ability is exaggerated by pundits and he makes up for this by utilising his physique. You can usually tell how technically good a player is when you watch them run with the ball.

If Moyes has any judgement at all, he will try to offload him in the summer. But who would buy him? Chelsea's interest cooled remarkably quickly before the January transfer window. They claimed Man Utd would not sell to them. But they sold Mata to Man Utd. Any team will sell to any other team, if offered enough money. Mourinho was probably just trying to unsettle Rooney. Arsene Wenger also expressed interest in signing Rooney. Hopefully, that was not sincere either. The absence of any overseas bidders was notable. If Moyes does try to offload him in the summer, he may well have a hard job doing so.