'Main man' Wayne Rooney will rebound for Man United - Chris Smalling
'Main man' Wayne Rooney will rebound for Man United - Chris Smalling
Chris Smalling has backed Manchester United and England's "main man'' Wayne Rooney to start firing again after being dropped by Jose Mourinho.
Rooney, 30, has been the public eye since breaking onto the scene as a precocious teenager, but the United boss on Friday said that the forward appeared to have been taken aback by this season's scrutiny and criticism.
Mourinho went as far as to say Rooney had been damaged by over-the-top criticism in the aftermath of England's World Cup qualifier in Slovakia and the following day made the bold move to take his captain out of the starting line-up.
The move appeared to help rather than hinder as United notched four goals in a stupendous first half against Leicester, with the skipper only introduced 83 minutes into the impressive 4-1 win against the reigning Premier League champions.
Mourinho's decision and the form of Rooney will naturally lead to questions over his role for club and country, but stand-in captain Smalling has no doubt his teammate's quality will shine through once again.
"He was the same, as in before the game when we're all getting ready,'' the defender said of Rooney. "He is often one of the most vocal and he was the same today.
"Regardless of whatever the situation is, whatever game, whether he is on the bench or playing or whatever, he is always that same type of character and that's why he is England's main man and our main man.
"I think he's a very experienced guy and he's played that many games that I think it'll only be a matter of time before he's back in there and firing again because he's quality.''
The focus on Rooney was as natural as the questions that followed United's three-match losing streak after the international break.
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