Whether he meant to awkwardly deflect the ball – or not – to Zlatan Ibrahimovic
for the winning goal doesn’t matter right now. All that matters for one
Wayne Mark Rooney is that he was on the field and found himself in the
right place at the right time to create something positive for Manchester United.
OK,
his attempted side-foot volley in the 69th minute was somewhat comical.
But Rooney’s un-Midas-like touch did fortuitously find the head of
Ibrahimovic for the decisive goal in United’s 1-0 Europa League victory
over visiting Zorya Luhansk on Thursday.
And
manager Jose Mourinho will take any kind of contribution from Rooney,
his demoted captain, even if it’s the accidental assist variety.
United will take 'em anyway they can right now. Rooney with the "assist," Zlatan with their 1st #EuropaLeague goal. https://t.co/ZNzhl3ujEw— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 29, 2016
A
string of listless performances finally led to Rooney being dropped
from Man United’s starting lineup last weekend, and the result was not
flattering for the 30-year-old. The Red Devils romped to a 4-1 win over
defending Premier League champion Leicester City, with Juan Mata flourishing as the primary playmaker and Paul Pogba finally getting to be, well, Paul Pogba, the most expensive soccer player on the planet.
Rooney
eventually came on as a substitute against Leicester with the game
already decided. This sad state of Rooney continued on Thursday as he
took a seat on the bench for the second straight match.
But the circumstances were different when Mourinho brought Rooney on for Jesse Lingard
in the 67th minute. With the game still scoreless, Rooney was
positioned up top with Ibrahimovic to make something happen and
hopefully produce the game-winner. It wasn’t pretty, but Rooney –
somehow – succeeded.
Twitter, including Man United’s official account, had fun with the play. Even Rooney himself.
It wasn't the prettiest but they all count! Rooney claims the assist, minutes after coming on. #MUFC #UEL pic.twitter.com/qnmX6OLRPd— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 29, 2016
Mourinho on Rooney: "He was laughing and saying he made a great assist."— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) September 29, 2016
As the old saying goes, sometimes it is
better to be lucky than good. Because when you’re Wayne Rooney, aging
superstar striker with the rapidly declining skills, you’ll take
whatever good fortune you can get in a season that could likely be his
last at Old Trafford.
Culled From- Bleacher Sports
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