David Moyes believes that Man United striker Wayne Rooney will eventually become a full-time midfielder at Old Trafford.
Rooney equalled Sir Bobby Charlton’s England goalscoring record with his 49th strike in the 6-0 win over San Marino on Saturday, while he is 16 behind the Old Trafford legend for his club.
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Moyes is confident that Rooney will pass both records relatively soon, but he envisages the 29-year-old changing his position in order to protect his longevity.
“I think while he is probably England’s best striker at the moment, he has to continue playing as a striker and scoring goals,” he told the BBC.
“But I could genuinely see Wayne being a midfield player for a year or two after that – I think he has got that ability when his legs run out a bit.
“He is such a good footballer and passer of the ball that he could play in other positions and it could be that he steps back (positionally) in time.
“He has played top football for 12 or 13 years and not many players have had careers as long as that and played as many games.”
Having previously played in a more withdrawn role for United, Rooney has been moved back into a central striker role by Louis Van Gaal since the start of the season.
Aside from a hat-trick in the Champions League qualifying round though, Rooney has struggled to play the role and it remains to be seen whether or not he continues for much longer.
However, Moyes is adamant that he will eventually have to change as he edges closer towards the end of his career, and there will be few who disagree with his prediction that Rooney would flourish.
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