Former Man United star Gary Neville has insisted that Wayne Rooney needs more freedom if he is going to overcome his current problems.
Despite hitting a hat-trick in the Champions League last week, Rooney’s struggles in the Premier League continued on Sunday in the 2-1 loss to Swansea.
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The England international failed to score and had little influence on the game, and Neville believes that Louis Van Gaal needs to make a tactical change in order to get the best out of his striker.
“Louis van Gaal wants him to play in between the two centre-backs and not move,” Neville told Super Sunday.
“That is not Rooney’s game. It hasn’t been his game for 11 years. You see him charging into channels. You see him hunting back and you see him all over the pitch. You can’t contain him.
“Rooney is not a safe player. He’s not good when he’s safe. He should be on the half-turn, turning at people.”
Jamie Carragher added that United need to add pace to their squad in order to allow Rooney to play a pivotal role in their success.
However, it remains unlikely that Van Gaal will depart from his system and way of playing, which could see Rooney continue to struggle.
The 29-year-old has yet to find the net in the league this season, but Anthony Martial’s expected arrival at Old Trafford will give Van Gaal more to think about for the remainder of the campaign.
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