His star fading, Wayne Rooney’s pursuit of Bobby Charlton’s Manchester United goals record loses its lustre

Charlton will probably be at Old Trafford on Monday again ready to hand over the distinction of scoring more goals for arguably the world’s biggest club than anyone else. The chances are that he will retain it.

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney is shown against West Brom on December 17, 2016 at Old Trafford in Manchester, England. John Sibley / Reuters

Sir Bobby Charlton was at the Hawthorns last Saturday, wrapped up against the winter cold in a Russian-style fur hat, waiting to see if it would be the day he lost a record. It wasn’t. Wayne Rooney drew his now-familiar blank. He remains on 248 Manchester United goals, one behind Charlton’s historic haul.

Charlton will probably be at Old Trafford on Monday as well, again ready to hand over the distinction of scoring more goals for arguably the world’s biggest club than anyone else. The chances are that he will retain it.

Rooney is not guaranteed to start. Even if he does, he has not scored a league goal since August. He has only struck four times in his last 33 United games in all competitions.

He is crawling towards a record, stumbling towards a spot at the top of the leader board. Rooney did not play badly against West Bromwich Albion, just as he did not against Crystal Palace three days earlier, but his goal touch has dried up. He had his least prolific Premier League campaign since he turned 18 last season, scoring just eight times. He is on course to register a new low this season.

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It raises the question if the record is devalued when it is taken by a performer so clearly past his prime. Rooney is not carrying on playing for statistics alone — not when he has both ambition and one of the most lucrative contracts in the game.

But with every passing game, it feels a lesser feat to go past Charlton. Ryan Giggs beat Charlton’s long-standing appearance record of 758 in a Champions League final and at the summit of the game, not in such a dull grind to glory.

To use a cricketing comparison, Rooney began as Ian Botham and has transformed into the late-period Kapil Dev. Like Botham, Rooney was a force of nature — a British bulldog who seemed to be able to turn his hand to anything within his sport. He appeared propelled by his irresistible momentum as much as anything else.

Botham equalled Dennis Lillee’s then-Test record of 355 wickets with his first ball after a spell out with a ban. “Who writes your scripts?” asked teammate Graham Gooch. Botham’s scriptwriter soon wrote the tale of the 356th to put him out in front.

Rooney’s is yet to produce such drama.

And so he has come to resemble Kapil Dev who, after Richard Hadlee raised the bar to 430 Test wickets, limped past him, never taking more than three in an innings or five in a match in his last two years and 16 matches, staggering on to 434 wickets before calling it a day. He had lost much of his pace and his potency but he pursued a record. Rooney may soon have another.

Perhaps, though, it would be fitting if the record came in 2017. Rooney captained United to FA Cup victory in 2016, performing well in the Wembley final. But his year has been wretched nonetheless.

His Euro 2016 culminated in embarrassment against Iceland. Three managers who appointed him captain have lost their jobs. And he has lost his place as a first choice for club and country alike. By staying up until 5am drinking the day after England’s win over Scotland, he prompted a discussion about the professionalism of his conduct.

His star has fallen as his productivity has declined. Rooney scored his seventh goal of the year on February 2. Only six more have come for United or England since then. Back-to-back home games against Sunderland and Middlesbrough may provide the chance to change the narrative.

But perhaps the cameras will keep panning to Charlton in the crowd for some games to come.

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