OPINION
Chris Sutton revealed that he thought Everton attacker Wayne Rooney was not the player he once was and stated that the 32-year-old was unable to influence games like he previously did.
The BT Sports pundit explained his view on Rooney during the broadcaster’s coverage of the Toffees’ match against Swansea City on Saturday, sharing that he thought the former England international had lost a bit of quality.
“Wayne Rooney isn’t the player he once was. He doesn’t have the same influence, it’s just the way it is,” Sutton said, as quoted by BT Sport Score’s Twitter account.
However while Rooney’s recent performances have hardly been inspiring, the Toffees veteran is still able to influence games and be an important player at Goodison Park.
The attacker may not be the same player as he was in his younger days, but if anything, he has more influence on a football pitch than ever before.
Sam Allardyce has opted to play the 32-year-old deep in his midfield as of late, and it has seen Rooney’s talents wasted.
The attacker clearly needs to play in midfield rather than upfront given his lack of pace, but Allardyce has dropped him way too deep.
If utilised correctly Rooney would be able to carve open Premier League defenses with his sublime passing ability, as well as chip in a few goals.
The 32-year-old has already shown that he still has that clinical instinct needed to regularly score this season, as he has grabbed 11 goals in 37 appearances during this campaign.
Rooney also has something that is hard to come by, a tremendous amount of Premier League experience.
The veteran has made 488 appearances in England’s top-flight and knows the league better than most.
This priceless experience will be even more vital next season if a new manager, with no first-hand knowledge of the Premier League, is appointed to replace Allardyce in the summer.
Rooney will be able to provide his new boss with a valuable insight into the league, which could help the Toffees achieve success with a new boss next season.
So given his ability and experience, Rooney is still the key to the Toffees achieving success and Sutton’s comments are simply absurd, as the 32-year-old will come good again shortly.