A substitute for his club and a substitute for his country — Wayne Rooney’s career has certainly taken a notable downturn in recent weeks. It is not yet five weeks since the Manchester United and England captain was first dropped by Jose Mourinho, but there already appears to be no way back for him.
When Rooney celebrated his 31st birthday on Monday he did so as a man standing only three goals behind Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time United record, and yet rarely has he looked so unlikely to topple the club legend at the top of the charts.