#3 Wayne Rooney
2016/17 was a tough season for Wayne Rooney. Despite breaking Bobby Charlton’s record of 249 goals to become Manchester United’s all-time top goalscorer, people will remember the season as one in which he appeared in just 25 league games and only scored eight goals – his worst return since his debut season with Everton over a decade ago.
United boss Jose Mourinho has largely been respectful of Rooney – keeping him as the club captain and rarely saying a bad word about his player, and admittedly, a lesser return is to be expected for a player who’s pushing 32 and has over a decade of Premier League experience behind him. However, his personal actions suggested he’d finally lost it in 2016/17.
In November 2016 Rooney was pictured heavily drunk, complete with wine-stained lips and bloodshot eyes, at a wedding party following England’s 3-0 victory over Scotland. Although Rooney had already been ruled out of England’s following game with Spain, the incident hardly did him any favours with new England boss Gareth Southgate, and he hasn’t been selected for his country since and has been replaced as captain by Harry Kane.
With his club form waning anyway – he may leave United this summer – it looks like Rooney’s drinking habits may finally have caught up with him and cost him his beloved spot with England – a sure sign of a forward that lost the plot last season.
