09/07/2017 16:02, Report by Steve Bartram

Features editor Steve Bartram pays tribute to Wayne Rooney following the Manchester United captain's exit from Old Trafford...

Wayne Rooney’s departure after 13 years at Old Trafford marks the time to end all debate and simply salute an indisputable Manchester United legend.

No cult hero, no homegrown prodigy, no imported genius has scored more goals in the club’s history than Rooney, whose haul of 253 strikes is only eight fewer than George Best and Eric Cantona managed between them. It took almost 44 years for Sir Bobby Charlton’s previous record to be beaten so, in an age where one-club longevity is rare, Rooney’s tally is likely to go unsurpassed for a long, long time.

Wayne has outscored some of the greatest players ever, for the United cause. Into the bargain, he has not only played a crucial role in one of the richest periods in the club’s history; he has also, in more recent times, dragged the club out of the dark and back towards the light. Nobody shouldered more responsibility than Rooney in the aftermath of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement, toiling through David Moyes’ short tenure, leading under Louis van Gaal and, most importantly, playing a starring role in the 2016 FA Cup final success which brought the winning habit back to Old Trafford. While Jesse Lingard’s winner secured the trophy, it is worth remembering the slalom past six opponents from which Rooney provoked Juan Mata’s equaliser. That success completed Wayne’s assortment of domestic winner’s medals. A year on, the Europa League followed to leave him with only a Super Cup-shaped hole in his collection.

Rooney’s influence on United’s fortunes has been enormous. His 253 goals came across 192 games, with an 85% win ratio. He netted in 47 different stadia spread across 14 countries, against 95 different goalkeepers and 99 different managers. Whenever there is a split, it is worth remembering the good times, and Wayne’s 13-year Old Trafford stint have provided innumerable memories.

His first season alone is enough cause for misty-eyed reminiscence. The debut hat-trick; the volley against Newcastle; his first winner at Anfield; the unstoppable fury at Highbury; the criminally unrewarded FA Cup final display in Cardiff. He was picking up near-weekly man-of-the-match awards. So too in his second season. In the third, he and Cristiano Ronaldo began to share the spotlight more often. In the fourth and fifth, both of which ended in Premier League titles, Rooney’s selflessness elevated Ronaldo, whose development into one of the modern game’s great centre-forwards may not have been given its formative years in England if Rooney hadn’t been willing to trade positions and operate from a wide role.

After Ronaldo’s departure, Rooney’s role became that of goalscorer. His job was no longer to stampede around the field influencing the game from wherever he chose; just be in the box to put the ball in the net, and that’s what he did. There was less fun, more function; a fate that comes to virtually all players. Rooney the goalscorer did his job better than any other United player, ever. The teenage tyro who made us dream of future glory grew into the grizzled pro making them a reality.

The statistics and the trophies cannot be contested, but it is down to the individual whether or not his transfer request of 2010 affects all that has followed. That doesn’t change the fact, however, that it has followed. Of his 253 goals, 121 have come since that episode. What followed in the remainder of the 2010/11 season was cracking home one of the club’s greatest goals, smashing in vital, title-swaying efforts and scoring in a Champions League final.

Rooney top-scored in 2011/12, 2013/14 and 2014/15, only tumbling down the scoring charts in 2016/17 as he found himself increasingly sidelined amid Jose Mourinho’s process of reinventing a United side in need of remodelling and futureproofing.

Now, all parties feel it is the right time for Rooney’s time at United to end. While his experience might have been utilised at Old Trafford this season and beyond, he would plainly not be the figurehead of Mourinho’s evolving team and he is determined to remain a focal point. 

The moment is right not only for goodbye, but for a full and proper appreciation of a player whose Old Trafford legend will remain untouched by time.

The views expressed in this article are personal to the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Manchester United.