Tuesday 11 July 2017 12:34, UK
Wayne Rooney's return to Everton brings his 13-year stay at Manchester United to an end. Jose Mourinho deserves credit for handling a potentially tricky situation with a minimum of fuss, writes Adam Bate.
Although Sir Alex Ferguson is rightly hailed as a master of man-management, exits of iconic players were a feature of his Manchester United reign. Most memorably, there was the mid-season departure of Roy Keane after his damning assessment of his team-mates on United's in-house television station. A brief power-play ensued, with only one winner.
David Beckham endured a more drawn-out process in which his relationship with the United manager fractured beyond repair, while Ruud van Nistelrooy also faced similar problems. These were heroes to supporters, and players who had helped the club achieve great things, but that was not enough to stop Ferguson flexing his muscles and doing his job.
Of course, Wayne Rooney himself had his issues with Ferguson, the strains between the pair appearing to reach their nadir in the closing months of his reign. The disputed claim that Rooney had issued a transfer request led many to conclude that the path had been cleared for his sale. Certainly, it is difficult to see how he could have stayed on under Ferguson.
So when Jose Mourinho assumed control in the summer and effectively ousted Rooney from his first eleven within six months, on the face of it, another similarly dramatic departure from Old Trafford might have been expected. And yet, Rooney, the club's record goalscorer, of course, has been ushered towards the exit with the skill of a diplomat.
For a coach who supposedly thrives on conflict, Mourinho has negotiated a potentially difficult situation with considerable deftness of touch. Rooney's detractors might have preferred a public dismissal of the player's qualities. His fans would have favoured that he continue in a bit-part role. Both groups are likely to accept that this is all for the best.
Mourinho actually set the wheels in motion in July during his opening press conference as Manchester United manager. Asked about Rooney's future, he was effusive in his praise for the captain and would soon confirm that the player was to remain in the role. But Mourinho was also unusually adamant about precisely where Rooney would be playing.
"He will never be a No 6 for me, he will never be someone playing 60 metres from the goal," he explained in reference to Rooney's penchant for dropping into midfield. "There are many players with a great pass, but there aren't as many players who can put the ball in the net. For me he will be a No 9, a 10, or a 9-and-a-half, but not a 6 or even an 8."
Mourinho framed the comments in positive terms, emphasising Rooney's scoring ability. But having signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the team's target man and with Henrikh Mkhitaryan further bolstering United's attacking options, the reality of Rooney's predicament was clear. Mourinho limited the scope for Rooney to switch position in search of action elsewhere.
As recently as October, he was still fielding questions about Rooney's future with the line that the player was "going nowhere" but by February that had changed with Mourinho insistent he could offer no guarantees. "You have to ask him if he sees himself staying in the club for the rest of his career or if he sees himself moving," he said.
"I would never push - or try to push - a legend of this club to another destiny."
Perhaps that is the key point. While Ferguson was acting from a position of unprecedented strength as the most successful manager in the history of English football and the incumbent at a club where he would eventually win 13 Premier League trophies, Mourinho, for all his achievements, had to be more cautious in his handling of a club icon.
His final days at Chelsea reemphasised the importance of carrying the dressing room with him and there were echoes too of Mourinho's handling of Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard as their stays at Stamford Bridge petered out in 2014. In both instances, while egos might have been wounded, awkward exits were handled without too much public acrimony.
Like Rooney, Cole found himself out of favour for the first time in his illustrious career but Mourinho only reinforced the message that "Ashley is a top professional" and "a fighter" when questioned on the omission. Lampard was told that "as one of the most important players in the history of the club" he could "do anything he wants" at Chelsea in the future.
Whether that offer extends to Rooney remains to be seen. But he stayed on long enough to break Manchester United's all-time goalscoring record and has been afforded the emotional send-off that his accomplishments deserve. He has done so to the sound of public praise from the manager who no longer considers him deserving of a place in United's first team.
Ultimately, the upshot is that Mourinho has succeeded in removing a huge earner from the wage bill and improved the team in the process. He has satisfied those fans who demanded that traditions be respected and a club hero be rightly honoured, while pushing through the change that most regard as essential at Old Trafford. One suspects that Ferguson approves.
