Wayne Rooney has been at Manchester United since 2004 when he signed from Everton as a ‘wonder kid’. He has since played in three World Cups, scoring one goal in the process. Has he lived up to the hype of 10 years ago and is he still good enough to play for a club like Manchester United and the England national side?
After a fine World Cup from Chile and Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez there have been many teams looking into signing him. One of those teams is Arsenal, who are competing for his signature against a host of other clubs including Liverpool and Serie A champions Juventus.
After what can only be described as a horrific campaign for Manchester United last season, there is now fresh optimism after the club introduced Louis van Gaal as the new manager for next season. He is currently managing the Netherlands at the World Cup and will have full attention on his new job after the tournament is over. What will he bring to United?
Arsenal have been linked with many different strikers already this summer, including Karim Benzema, Lorenzo Insigne and, of course, Mario Balotelli. Any of these could be feasible, although some publications have reported that Real Madrid star Benzema has stated he feels at home in the Spanish capital and so is unlikely to move away from the Bernabeau. Insigne was impressive last season for Napoli and seems like a decent young player, whilst Mario Balotelli is one of the most talked about players at any time of the season. Now is no different, with the Italy international being heavily linked with the Gunners.
With two lacklustre performances by young Belgium and Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku at this year’s World Cup, could his Chelsea career be over before it even really began? This World Cup was a chance for Lukaku to show the world what he can do and possibly cement his place in the Chelsea team next season. This was a particularly good opporunity for him due to the fact that Belgium’s other main striker, Christian Benteke, was ruled out of the tournament with an injury.
It’s that time of year where rumours are being thrown about regarding where different players’ futures lie and this summer is no different, especially with the World Cup ongoing and players showing what they can do on the world’s biggest stage. One of the most sought after players in the world at the moment is Chelsea’s Eden Hazard, who is wanted by many clubs including Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. Both could potentially offer a huge amount of money to try and lure him away from Stamford Bridge. The question is: if the price is high enough, should he leave the Blues?
With yet another dismal display from England at the 2014 World Cup (one that saw them knocked out in the group stages for the first time since 1958 and still with a game to spare), there has been criticism regarding the fact that there are not many English players playing regularly in the country’s top flight. Many pundits have suggested that this is the cause for England’s lacklustre performances in recent tournaments. With that being said, should clubs like Chelsea bow down to the demands of the nation to help England?