Wayne's In The Box Seat

Prowess in the penalty area could win the PFA double for Wayne Rooney this Sunday, just as it did for football legend Andy Gray more than 30 years ago.

Gray was the first man to win both the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards in the same season, after plundering 29 goals for Aston Villa in 1976/77. Now a respected Sky TV pundit, the ex-Scotland striker believes last summer’s exit of Cristiano Ronaldo – the only other player to have done the PFA double – has helped propel Rooney to the top of the scoring charts.

“We all wondered, certainly last season and the season before, why Wayne Rooney was played so often wide on the left or deep lying,” Gray told ManUtd.com.

“There might have been a reason for it. Maybe Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t think he was ready to be given the responsibility to carry the torch – certainly with Ronaldo there, that might have influenced his thought. But with Ronaldo gone, Sir Alex has unleashed Rooney and given him freedom to express himself.

“Three years ago, Wayne would have been scoring the majority of his goals from outside the area. But he’s scored 30-odd this season and I would guess that he hasn’t got any from outside the 18-yard box. That tells you how things have changed for him and I think he’s loved it.”

Gray guessed right - analysis for next month’s Inside United shows every goal Wayne has scored since the March 2009 FA Cup win over Fulham has come from inside the box. But the former Wolves and Everton poacher says positioning is only one reason why Wayne’s now so prolific, the other being his feed from the flanks.

“Antonio Valenica is never going to be Cristiano Ronaldo - I think Antonio knows that and so does Sir Alex. But what he can be is a supply line," said Gray.

“I think he’s a fantastic crosser of the ball, he very rarely disappoints when he’s delivering from wide and I think Wayne’s benefited from that.

“Also, Nani has been much better this season, certainly in the last couple of months. He’s looked more like the player Sir Alex thought he would be.”

While Rooney has linked up well with Valencia and Nani, and Ronaldo before them, Gray says there’s another Red who would have suited Wayne’s game above all others.

“I think the way Wayne’s playing at the moment, Eric Cantona would have been ideal for him,” Gray pondered.

“People always think that Wayne is a support striker but I’ve never believed that. I’ve always believed he’s a striker who plays right up front and gets goals, because that’s what he does best. And I think with the way Eric played, as a support striker playing just off the front, it would have been a match made in heaven for United fans.”

Andy Gray was speaking to ManUtd.com at the Football Extravaganza, a fund-raising dinner for music therapy charity Nordoff-Robbins.