The majority finally got what they have wanted for a while. Dress it up however you like but Wayne Rooney was dropped through lack of form. He wasn’t injured, he wasn’t suspended, he was just dropped.
He was, however, on the bench which must have been in deference to his seniority and longevity becasue his recent performances haven’t even merited a place there!
With Mkhitaryan still injured Lingard was brought back into the team to take up the opposite wide position to Marcus Rashford. Ibrahimović was the target man and an effective midfield of Mata, Pogba and Herrera was selected. Bailly, Smalling, Blind and Valencia made up the rest of the outfield.
This improved balance saw United storm into a 4-0 lead by half time. Rooney’s absence allowed Pogba a free role whereby he could do, more or less, as he chose. This contributed to him being the man of the match.
Smalling had scored the first when he rose unmarked from a corner to head in from close range.
The second was all about Juan Mata who played a neat one-two before firing in from the edge of the area.
Marcus Rashford then scored the third from a well worked set piece whereby he finished off from one yard out.
The next goal, which proved to be the final one for United, was the first for Paul Pogba. Again, he rose unmarked to head in from twelve yards.
With three of the goals coming from set pieces it could be argued that Leicester were the architects of their own downfall which, to an extent, they were. United still had to score the goals and they managed to do so without the nerves which have been apparent in some of their recent games.
As is often the case with games where one side has a commanding first half lead, the second half was won by the opponents. Leicester shored up their shaky first half defence and managed to get the goal of the game when Demarai Gray scored with a shot from 25 yards.
By this stage United had decided that four was sufficient and anything else would be a bonus.
Mourinho now just used the remaining time to give Ashley Young and Michael Carrick a run out?
Oh yes, and he brought Wayne Rooney on for the final ten minutes or so. As has been the case for a long while now, Rooney contributed nothing. Fortunately for United the damage had already been done in the first half so any harm he could cause to United was limited due to his late introduction.
With a little luck this should now be the beginning of the end for Rooney. He can be phased out slowly with a place on the bench eventually becoming a watching brief. Then when he is prepared to admit that he isn’t good enough for Manchester United, (something he stubbornly and arrogantly refuses to acknowledge), he can clear off to th USA or China and let some other mugs pay him a fortune for doing very little.
The next test for José Mourinho is to try and select a team for Thursday’s Europa League game without succumbing to the temptation to pick Rooney for no other reason than sentiment, a feeling Mourinho denies possessing.
United look better balanced and an all-round better team without him. It’s finally time to move on.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 