Rooney: Season By Season At United

In 13 campaigns at Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney enjoyed a Manchester United career laden with goals, awards and major trophies. Here’s how the firebrand teenager we signed from Everton evolved, season-by-season, into a figurehead, captain and the Reds' record goalscorer...

2004/05
Appearances/goals: 37(6)/17
Honours: FA Cup runner-up, PFA Young Player of the Year
Overview: You only get one chance at a first impression, and in becoming only the second player ever to score a debut hat-trick for United, Wayne set the tone for a sensational Reds career from the very beginning. Usually operating as the perfect foil for goal machine Ruud van Nistelrooy, Wayne’s all-action, rampaging style lifted the tempo of a Reds side undergoing a substantial evolution as Sir Alex Ferguson built his next great team. The teenager ended the season as a beaten FA Cup finalist, but also the PFA Young Player of the Year, with the hype around his move to Old Trafford firmly justified. 
Soundbite: “Wayne is a great player already, but he’s going to get even better.” Sir Alex Ferguson

2005/06
Appearances/goals: 44(4)/19
Honours: League Cup
Overview: Wayne’s development continued unabated with a string of man-of-the-match displays throughout the season, to the point that it was he, rather than arch-poacher van Nistelrooy, who was Ferguson’s first-choice striker by the end of the campaign. Injuries devastated United’s campaign and hastened an embarrassing Champions League group stage exit, but Rooney was central to a turn-of-the-year recovery which culminated in the striker’s first piece of silverware: the League Cup. Star man Rooney inspired a comprehensive cup-final victory over Wigan in Cardiff, plundering two goals and shining like a beacon.
Soundbite: “Rooney looks capable of floating a ball into a basketball hoop from 60 yards.” The Guardian

2006/07
Appearances/goals: 51(4)/23
Honours: Premier League, FA Cup runner-up
Overview: Success in the League Cup proved to be a launchpad for Rooney and his colleagues, who started the season in style – Wayne netting a brace in a 5-1 demolition of Fulham – and never looked back en route to sealing an unforgettable title triumph. At the heart of it all were Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, who provided a devastating combination of pace, power and incision throughout the campaign. Wayne also had his first taster of the United captaincy, leading the Reds to a Champions League victory over FC Copenhagen a week before his 21st birthday. By the end of the term, he had scored 23 goals - then his best tally for a single season - and was able to call himself a champion.
Soundbite: “The people who questioned Wayne really don’t know anything about football. We never doubted him once.” Louis Saha

2007/08
Appearances/goals: 39(4)/18
Honours: Premier League, Champions League, Community Shield
Overview: Having swapped squad numbers to don the no.10 shirt, Wayne suffered an early-season setback when he sustained another broken metatarsal bone on the opening day of the Premier League campaign. Nevertheless, he quickly forged an eye-catching partnership with Carlos Tevez and, though an ankle injury struck before Christmas, he went on to enjoy another prolific campaign. While Ronaldo often took the headlines with a staggering run of scoring goals, Rooney remained arguably the Reds’ most influential player with his ability to inspire those around him, playing a starring role as United retained the Premier League and overcame Chelsea in the Champions League final.
Soundbite: “He has all the qualities to be a future captain. He’s in a similar mould to Robson and Keane. They are winners and determined, never-give-in type players.” Sir Alex Ferguson

2008/09
Appearances/goals: 39(10)/20
Honours: Premier League, Club World Cup, Community Shield; Champions League runner-up
Overview: Even though the addition of Dimitar Berbatov and the ongoing evolution of Ronaldo into a centre-forward presented Ferguson with a mighty selection headache, there was never any doubt over Rooney’s place in United’s strongest team. Only injuries prompted Wayne’s absence, and although he lost six weeks to a hamstring injury, he remained the heartbeat of United’s attack, enjoying a run of nine goals in seven games throughout the autumn. As well as scoring the goal against LDU Quito which made United world champions, Rooney was key to a third straight title and a return to the Champions League final. 
Soundbite: “Wayne has matured into a world class player.” Ryan Giggs

2009/10
Appearances: 42(2)/34
Honours: League Cup 
Overview: More than ever, Rooney was central to United’s ambitions, as the sale of Ronaldo prompted Wayne’s permanent return to a striker’s role. Quickly forming an impressive bond with new signing Antonio Valencia, the Reds’ no.10 scored an opening-day winner against Birmingham and never looked back. Rooney was in the form of his life – including a jolting run of headed goals in early 2010 – notching a League Cup final winner against Aston Villa, four goals across a Champions League tie with AC Milan and as many in a single game against Hull City. His 34th goal of a staggering campaign against Bayern Munich proved to be his last, as an ankle injury sidelined him for much of the run-in, but his contribution to the cause still earned him the PFA Player of the Year and FWA Player of the Year awards.
Soundbite: “Rooney is class on the pitch and class off it.” Oliver Holt, Daily Mirror

2010/11
Appearances/goals: 36(4)/16
Honours: Premier League; Champions League runner-up
Overview: A slow start to the campaign was compounded when Wayne suffered an ankle injury in training, and his season only gained momentum when he nodded his first open-play goal of the term against West Brom on New Year’s Day. A blockbusting overhead kick against Manchester City in February sparked his season into life, however, and culminated in a surge of superb performances when it mattered most. Goals in the Champions League quarter-finals, semi-finals and final – albeit in defeat to Barcleona – demonstrated Wayne’s enduring appetite for the big occasion, and it was fitting that he should score the equaliser against Blackburn which clinched a record 19th league title. 
Soundbite: "I can't ever remember a better goal [than Wayne’s overhead kick] at Old Trafford. I haven’t seen anything like it, that’s for sure.” Sir Alex Ferguson

2011/12
Appearances/goals: 41(2)/34
Honours: Community Shield
Overview: The most prolific campaign of Wayne’s career to date began in scintillating fashion with nine goals in the opening six games, including hat-tricks against Arsenal and Bolton. Rooney was unstoppable at times as the focal point of the Reds’ attack. Old Trafford proved an extraordinarily happy hunting ground, with Wayne scoring in a club-record seven straight home games between mid-February and late April, but he was unable to prevent heartbreak on the final day of the season as Manchester City nabbed their first Premier League title in stoppage time. Nevertheless, as the main man in a young, developing team, Wayne had shown that he was ready for a role in United’s bright future.
Soundbite: “There are times when he cannot be stopped.” Patrice Evra

2012/13
Appearances/goals: 31(6)/16
Honours: Premier League
Overview: Once again, an early-season injury left Wayne playing catch-up with his team-mates as a horrific thigh gash left him sidelined until the end of September, while he also had to battle knee, groin, ankle and sinus problems. The arrival of attackers Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa also left the England star with added competition to face, but he forced his way into Ferguson’s reckoning and proved invaluable. His brace at the Etihad Stadium was a huge part of a vital 3-2 victory over the reigning champions – a result which put the Reds on course for a convincing title success – and he nabbed several key goals in United’s charge to a 20th league title – the fifth of Wayne’s stellar career.
Soundbite: “If you offered me all of the top players in the Premier League, all of the top foreign imports, I would still put Rooney ahead of them.” Alan Hansen, Daily Telegraph

2013/14
Appearances/goals: 37(3)/19
Honours: None
Overview: Rooney spearheaded a new start under David Moyes and, despite suffering a severely gashed head in training, Wayne was in scintillating early-season form, passing 200 goals for the Reds in September’s win over Bayer Leverkusen. Though United toiled after Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, Rooney led by example and displayed the all-action approach which had been his hallmark as a teenager, ultimately bagging a new, long-term contract in February 2014. By the end of the campaign, though Moyes had departed the club within a season, Wayne averaged almost a goal every other game.
Soundbite: “It's his work-rate, not just for himself but for the team. He's become an all-round team player who is also a technically gifted footballer.” David Moyes

2014/15
Appearances/goals: 37/14
Honours: None
Overview: A new season began with a change of manager and Wayne put in the hard yards to quickly convince Louis van Gaal that he was the right man to replace Nemanja Vidic as United captain. Rooney was deployed as a striker, then a midfielder, before returning to a forward role in the second half of the season, all to good effect as he continued to steadily march towards Sir Bobby Charlton’s club goals record. A return to the Champions League owed much to the exploits of Rooney, who topped the Reds’ scoring chart for the season for the second successive season and the sixth time overall. 
Soundbite: “Wherever you put him, you'll get a top performance and you could even put him in goal. One of the best players to have ever played for United and England.” Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

2015/16
Appearances/goals: 38(3)/15
Honours: FA Cup
Overview: For all his success at Old Trafford, one domestic honour continued to elude Wayne: the FA Cup. Fittingly, it was the skipper who inspired the Reds’ success with a driving run which led to Juan Mata’s late equaliser against Crystal Palace at Wembley. Jesse Lingard’s stunning winner secured the spoils, a collective triumph which capped a momentous season for Rooney. Having become England’s all-time leading goalscorer during the Three Lions’ European Championship qualifying campaign, he once again flitted between striking and midfield roles for the Reds, notching 15 goals and establishing himself as the senior figure from which youngsters Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Memphis could learn.
Soundbite: “He fulfils my expectations unbelievably well. I am very happy and proud of him. As a player, he is the example for everybody because his mentality is from a very high level.” Louis van Gaal

2016/17
Appearances/goals: 25(14)/8
Honours: FA Community Shield, EFL Cup, Europa League
Overview: Rooney lifted three trophies during his final United season - finishing his reign on a collective high - yet his standout personal achievement was breaking Sir Bobby Charlton’s long-standing goals record. That happened on 21 January when he notched a 250th strike for the club with a rasping free-kick that salvaged a 1-1 draw at Stoke City. Although his playing time was limited under Jose Mourinho, prompting a summer return to Everton, Wayne left Old Trafford with his place in the history books well and truly secured.  
Soundbite: “He is a true great and it is fitting that he is now the highest goalscorer for both United and England. It has been great to watch him every week since his arrival at Old Trafford.” Sir Bobby Charlton

Credit: Manutd.com