Despite all his plans to leave Manchester United over the summer, Wayne Rooney is still a Red Devil.
And following his two goals against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday in their Champions League win, Rooney became just the fourth player in United’s history to score 200 goals in the iconic red jersey.
Another day, another milestone for the Red Devils forward.
But as 27-year-old Rooney refused to comment on his ‘happiness’ with United after the 4-2 victory over Leverkusen, many are wondering whether he’ll stick around to try and beat Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record for the Old Trafford club. England’s all-time scorer Charlton also holds that record for United, with 249 goals in 758 games, and Rooney is edging closer to both of Charlton’s records for club and country.
(MORE: Manchester United 4-2 Bayer Leverkusen; Rooney double gives Moyes first Champions League win)
The Liverpudlian has tried to leave United on two much-publicized occasions, but he still remains in Manchester and is edging even closer to Charlton’s record. It would take a monumental effort to reach the target this season, but it’s not inconceivable that Rooney will reach the milestone by the end of the 2014-15 campaign... if he’s still at United.
Below is a list of the top ten goalscorers in United’s long and illustrious history, as you can see Rooney is now ranked fourth all-time. But does he really care about breaking Sir Bobby’s record? Or just making as much money as he can from the game?
A move to Chelsea, Manchester City or the big clubs abroad in the next few seasons would prove the latter is indeed true. However, with such a legendary milestone within reach, I believe Rooney should stick it out with United to try and become the greatest player, stats-wise, the club has ever seen.
Yet Rooney will be seen by many as a ‘wantaway legend’ and regardless of how many goals he’s scored, United fans will do well to bury the reminders that the fourth highest scorer in club history has wanted to leave it all behind on several occasions.
If Rooney does break the record, I can imagine the feeling for most United fans will be celebration tinged with sadness.
Top 10 Manchester United goalscorers all-time
1. Sir Bobby Charlton: 249 goals, 758 appearances (1956 - 1973)
2. Denis Law: 237, 404 (1962 - 1973)
3. Jack Rowley: 211, 424 (1937 - 1955)
4. Wayne Rooney: 200, 406 (2004 - present)
5. George Best: 179, 470 (1963 - 1974)
5. Dennis Viollet: 179, 293 (1953 - 1962)
7. Ryan Giggs: 168, 945 (1991 - present)
7. Joe Spence: 168, 510 (1919 - 1933)
9. Mark Hughes: 163, 467 (1983 - 1995)
10. Paul Scholes: 155, 718 (1994 - 2013)