An open letter to Wayne Rooney

It’s tough being you. Putting in all the hard hours in training, scoring important goals, running up and down the pitch to help the defence and then getting outshone and overshadowed by your own teammates. I know you’re all professional, but that’s bound to hurt whhen you know you are as good as your colleague, if not better, but somehow the fans just tend to bend a little towards them. It’s not like you haven’t had your share of the pie, but it hurts when someone constantly enjoys the most delicious piece of it.

Being number two is just not you, and I guess this is where the problem lies. Some people just resign to their fate and learn to thrive in the shadow of a teammate, but others like you want to be the best at everything they do. They also crave for some recognition by the fans. There is nothing wrong in feeling a little itchy when a new player comes into the club and steals the spotlight away from you, but then blaming the ambitions of the club when it’s actually a personal problem is something that is unacceptable. By doubting the ambitions of the club you are in a way questioning your own ambitions.

We have always loved you, Wayne. You have been the poster boy of United ever since you honed that Red jersey. I accept to buying the number 7 and the number 20 jersey instead of the number 10, but I guess that was just an attempt to be one of the crowd. I also accept to considering Ronaldo more valuable to the team than you(a small part of me still does), and I guess I felt the same way about Van Persie for almost the entire season but as they say, you only realise the value of something when you are about to lose it. All these years you have been the centre of our ‘United universe’. Please don’t leave us now.

Give the fans a chance, give the club a chance and most importantly give yourself one more chance at United because there is NO place to go from here. Also you are not a bad guy, you are just a man who is finding it tough to deal with playing under the shadow of another player, and I guess that is because you have to play in a position that is just not your own. Upfront is where you belong and I just hope David Moyes finds a way to play you and Van Persie both at the top. If you decide to leave this summer I won’t question your decision, all I would do is wonder as to how much more you could have achieved at this club.

Also one last thing, that overhead kick was just out of this world. Late at night, I still watch it. Thank you for all the memories. You will always be our Wazza.

Sincerely,

A United fan