If Wayne Rooney is sat on Manchester United’s bench tonight then he may be content in the knowledge that he will soon be the recipient of a bumper new contract.
However, with a quick glance to his left he will see a man who has something that Rooney will never have and could not buy no matter how much he holds his club ransom for.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is a man who, with a few possible exceptions, will be the most-loved person inside Old Trafford when he leads his side out against United tonight.
The enduring adoration that is felt towards ‘the baby faced assassin’ is one that Rooney, regardless of whether he ends his career as United’s all-time top scorer, will never experience.
When Wazza is counting his pennies after a glittering career he may well wonder ‘why don’t they love me?’
To be fair to the former Evertonian there are swathes of United fans who do love him but the reality is that they love what he does and when it comes to Rooney as a person the feeling is one of tolerance based on a situation of mutual gains.
With Solskjaer the love is one that started with brief substitute affairs and gradually grew to an unconditional bond.
And now Solskjær’s legacy is now completely woven into the fabric of Manchester United, after scoring the injury time goal in the Champions League Final in the legendary treble season.
That goal typified United’s never-say-die attitude that has defined Manchester United sides under the Sir Alex Ferguson era, and remains one if not the most iconic goal in the clubs history.
The goal also cemented the third trophy of season – a feat that has never been matched in English football.
While Solskjær will be remembered in the history books for that iconic strike, United fans love the Norwegian for a variety of reasons.
During his United career his fresh-faced nature and deadly striking skills ensured he soon became a fan favourite.
Solskjær’s goal scoring record, while respectable, is nothing extraordinary, averaging around fifteen goals a season before injuries started to hinder his playing time in the early 2000s.
Much of Solskjær’s contributions however, much like in the Champions League Final in ’99, came from the bench.
Despite being a fringe player the majority of his playing time at United, Solskjær always conducted himself with the upmost professionalism.
He never once publically complained of his lack of playing time, or tried to engineer a move away by manipulating the press.
He always gave 100% on the field too – even if he didn’t get the goal which we sorely needed.
It is a stark contrast to current star striker Wayne Rooney who has divided opinion among the United faithful.
Now in his tenth season, Rooney’s goal record is far superior to Solskjær’s, and is on course to beat Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 249 goals.
Rooney currently sits on 208 and, at 28-years-old Rooney should easily surpass that landmark.
However, this is all dependent on Rooney committing his long-term future at the club.
It looked all but certain that Rooney was headed out of Old Trafford in the summer after his relationship with Sir Alex Ferguson seemingly broke down.
United stayed firm and were able to keep hold of their man, despite intense interest from Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
Rooney’s scintillating form this season has silenced many of the doubters, but there are still a large section of supporters who will struggle to fully forgive Rooney for trying to force his way out of the club that has shown so much support over the years.
Many of the fans won’t have forgotten Rooney’s first attempt at trying to force his way out of Old Trafford in 2010.
In the wake of Cristiano Ronaldo leaving for Real Madrid for a world record £80million, Rooney accused the club of ‘lacking ambition’ and handed in a transfer request.
Sir Alex Ferguson fought tooth and nail to keep his star man and Rooney eventually back-tracked and signed a new contract making him the highest paid player at the club.
The sheer arrogance to accuse the club of lacking ambition riled a huge portion of the United faithful, but the Reds are a forgiving bunch, and the disloyalty was soon forgotten.
However, his actions last summer, for many were the final straw. And, no matter how well he plays for the rest of his time at United, the fans will always be wary of another tantrum.
Despite carrying United for much of this season Rooney will struggle to ever be viewed in the same light as Sir Bobby Charlton, Eric Cantona, Denis Law and, of course, Ole Gunnar Solskjær.
Solskjær will receive a thunderous reception tonight, and will be welcomed with open arms every time he returns to Old Trafford.
Can the same be said about Wayne Rooney after his playing days are finished? Maybe not.
Does he care? Probably not.
The old adage, ‘you can’t buy class’ firmly applies here.
Image courtesy of Sky Sports via YouTube, with thanks
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