Rooney watch: Captain Wayne Rooney yet again disappoints, this time against minnows Malta
The Englishman was uninspiring for the Three Lions as they beat their opponents 2-0 at Wembley
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NEVER has the current England captain been under so much scrutiny as he is now. Rooney 30, is nowhere near the explosive and dynamic force who thrilled club and country in years gone by.
The Manchester United skipper is facing the reality of not being part of Jose Mourinho best XI for club and a large section of Three Lions fans can't see how he justifies a staring berth at international level.
Interim England boss Gareth Southgate made the call before the game Rooney would start and continue as skipper against what has to be said was a poor Malta side who offered very little at Wembley.
Even when his name was announced before the game there were noticeable howls of disapproval from some England fans inside Wembley. And Rooney winning his 117th cap playing in midfield alongside Jordan Henderson did nothing to help his cause early on when he gave the ball away cheaply. Moments later the England Number 10 was easily dispossessed allowing Malta to counter.
His place in the number 10 role was taken by Dele Alli whose running and energy were once words used to describe the United skipper, how times change.
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Rooney has now fallen in to the category of England player who cannot get a game for his club. Sir Alex Ferguson always said it took the striker a few games to get up to match speed when he used to return to the United team.
The England skipper forced Maltese keeper Andrew Hogg into a good save on eight minutes with a curling effort that was heading for the top corner.
Rooney never made one run of any significant into the box and man of the arch Jordan Henderson who was suppose to be the holding midfielder got about the pitch more than Rooney.
The crowed responded to Rooney when he made one of his customary crunching tackles on Maltese skipper Andre Schembri in the first half. The midfielder rolled around in agony but Swedish referee Stefan Johannesson saw nothing wrong.
Think of Michael Owen when his hamstring injuries deprived him of the electric pace that allowed him to whizz past defenders. Rooney looks like a player whose body won't allow him to do the things on the pitch that made him the brilliant player he once was.
Apart from the usual Rooney cross field passes there were no moments of inspiration from the England captain who again even against a poor side allowed a game to pass him by without this year without any real contribution.