Quintin Jardine's blog

Changing sports for a little, I was angry and confused when I read this morning that Wayne Rooney is allegedly angry and confused by his situation at Manchester United. If that is true what the hell has he to be angry and confused about?

To any half-knowledgable observer Wayne has been a world-class player only in his own mind for a year or so now, since the arrival of Van Persie in Manchester sparked his discontent. He seems to be saying that he expects to stand above and beyond the rest of a squad that is made up almost entirely of international footballers at the top of their game, with a couple of genuine legends thrown in. If so he has to realise that such a status can be earned only by performance, and that it has to be constantly maintained. I’m sure that Ryan Giggs has told him as much, but I’m equally sure that he isn’t listening. As things stand he’s just another player, just another employee with a new boss to impress. He should concentrate on that rather than on planting stories in the media. If not, he should be sold on. For me that would be the smart thing to do. Wazza will never be a better player than he is now; he has plateaued, and   the other side of the hill is within sight. If he still has market value, if  the choice was mine, I’d cash in.