PARTNERS

After looking at his options in training, Fabio Capello has decided not to pair him with Andy Carroll, pointing to the latter’s lack of match sharpness. But he may have noticed something in training this week which has pricked his instinct and convinced him to go with Darren Bent. The Italian may be seeking a way to replicate Rooney’s contribution to his partnership with Javier Hernandez at United.

Bent, like Hernandez, gets in behind the back four and has a poacher’s instinct, even if there are fewer nuances to his game. There were signs of a decent understanding when the pair played together in Denmark last month and Bent scored.

Partners in crime: Darren Bent (centre) is set to play upfront with Rooney

CONFIDENCE

‘He’s back,’ Capello insisted. The problem is we heard a lot of that from the England manager during his time in South Africa without seeing Rooney ignite on the pitch.

The talent is in there, it just has to be unlocked. United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has been working to crack the enigma, with signs of success. John Terry offered further encouragement. ‘We all came away disappointed from that World Cup, more so him given the pressure that was on him,’ said Terry.

‘But when you play against Wayne, he doesn’t stop working. He’s the one in the United side who can change games. The match against Chelsea, where he turned, dribbled past one and smashed it in from 30 yards. That’s him all over.

‘He can do that even if he’s having a bad game.’

« Previous12Next »