Manchester United

Gary Neville 'not surprised' by Wayne Rooney role

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 09 September 2016

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville says that it is only natural that Wayne Rooney has now dropped into a deeper position.

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has claimed that it was only natural that Wayne Rooney would drop into a deeper position as he entered the latter stages of his career.

Rooney is currently second behind Bobby Charlton in the all-time scoring charts at Man United, with the 30-year-old hitting 246 goals in 524 appearances for the Red Devils since joining from Everton in 2004.

The England captain's role at Man United has been up for debate over the last 12 months, however, with Rooney operating in a central midfield role last season and also dropping deeper under Jose Mourinho despite starting as a number 10.

Neville claims that Rooney's position in the team is "a non-point" and says that the only important thing is whether the Englishman is still contributing to his club.

"Wayne Rooney will always go deep, it's a non-point. The only question that needs answering is whether he is still contributing to what Manchester United and Jose Mourinho want," Neville told Sky Sports News.

"Mourinho is playing him as a number 10 but he's dropping him deeper. It's impossible to stop Rooney dropping deeper, that's what he is now. He is still contributing in that position, setting up and scoring goals. I don't know why we are surprised that a 30-year-old player ends up going deeper.

"He is more midfield player now than a forward because that's where he plays, but he can still score goals and contribute. The only person this concerns is Jose Mourinho, who has to decide whether he brings value to the team."

Rooney has scored once in four appearances for Man United this season.