Wayne Rooney: Manchester United’s Little Engine That Could

Sarthak Dev

12th July 2017 | 2:49 PM

While Wayne Rooney has to stoke the dying embers in his belly for Everton, we look back at what made him a runaway train for Manchester.

Poof! He’s gone! Just like that.

As a writer, you look forward to every opportunity of putting words to your thoughts; and yet, as the brief for this article landed on my inbox, I couldn’t help but heave a sigh of despair. Not this one, not him. I call on Ludovico Einaudi’s music to help. I like Einaudi. He’s no virtuoso like Chopin or Schubert, nor is he nearly as flamboyant as Yanni or Philip Glass; yet when the strings of your heart are tugged, there aren’t many more therapeutic experiences than listening to this man work his piano.

Wayne Rooney’s career at Manchester United was one such emotional ride. Every goal scored, every tackle made, every pass placed perfectly at the feet of the overlapping winger, was an exhibition. It took you places you didn’t think football was capable of. As he brought down the curtains on an glorious 13-year stint, taking the bus to Merseyside, he would’ve known he hadn’t an ounce more to give to the club, the fans, the players or himself. On that respect, he’s probably timed his departure to perfection. In many ways, his life has somehow been all about timing, at times good, bad and at times downright unfortunate.

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