Originally Posted by Perumthachan
Reply With QuoteROONEY AT UNITED: SEASON BY SEASON
Ahead of Wayne Rooney's testimonial match at Old Trafford, we recall each of his 12 campaigns since he sensationally signed for Manchester United from Wednesday's opponents Everton...
2004/05
Following a stellar tournament at Euro 2004, Wayne became the then-most expensive teenager ever as he signed for United for an initial fee of around £27 million. It was a huge fee but almost from the second he made his debut in the glare of the Champions League, he began to repay the club’s faith. A stunning hat-trick against Fenerbache in that game could have proved a hard act to follow - but didn’t. Although never right at the top of the scoring charts, Rooney’s all-round forward play made him a regular recipient of Man of the Match awards, and when the goals did come they were invariably spectacular. His two strikes against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup (a 30-yard lob that left Boro keeper Mark Schwarzer flat-footed, and a technically brilliant mid-air volley) would have been hard to beat… until the crashing volley that beat Newcastle’s Shay Given all ends up. Never had the Young Player of the Year award been such a foregone conclusion.
2005/06
Like all the best scripts, Wayne’s second season as a Red can be divided into three acts: sensational at the start, sensational in the middle and sensational at the end. The powerful forward spent the campaign shredding defences; nobody in world football fused raw desire and rare ability so excitingly. He scored United’s first goal of the season, against Debreceni, and all the Reds high points would go on to bear the stamp of Rooney: he put Chelsea on the back foot at Old Trafford, mesmerised West Ham at Upton Park and bagged a clinical double at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff as United secured the League Cup – Wayne’s first trophy with the club. For a young man of just 20 to have such influence, technique and bigger-picture awareness provided a tantalising taste of the impact Rooney would go on to have at Old Trafford.
2006/07
Although a metatarsal injury sustained in April 2006 failed to restrict Wayne’s involvement in the World Cup, it did prevent the striker from really clicking into gear as he had done in Euro 2004. Unflustered, Rooney returned to Old Trafford and picked up from where he had left off the previous season, striking up a partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo that would set the league alight. Together the pair proved to be the attacking fulcrum that paved the way for the ultimately successful title challenge and allowed the Reds to fight for other major honours. Even a twelve-game goalless run at the start of the season did little to dampen Wayne’s contribution to the cause. His influence went way beyond just finding the net – as illustrated by his perfectly weighted through-ball to set-up Chris Eagles for United’s fourth goal in a crucial 4-2 over Everton in April – but his hat-trick against Bolton proved the catalyst for a further 11 league goals (he scored 23 in all competitions) as Rooney became a league winner for the first time.
2007/08
Another metatarsal injury on the opening day meant the start of the 2007/08 season was a frustrating one for Rooney but once he was fit, he soon got his season up and running, scoring against Roma in October before going on to fire a further six goals in his next six games. He also showed his burgeoning attributes as a leader when he skippered a group of young Reds to a respectable 1-1 draw in the final Champions League group stage game in Rome. A constant thorn in the side of opposition defences, the forward bagged important goals against Reading, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Roma and Middlesbrough and again played a fundamental part in one of the most successful seasons in recent history, as Sir Alex Ferguson’s men swept to European and domestic glory – beating Chelsea on penalties in Moscow to win the Champions League having already secured the club’s 17th league title days earlier.
2008/09
Still only aged 22 at the start of this campaign, the Reds’ no.10 was now viewed as one of the most experienced members in the squad having played and shone in games of the very highest level for both his club and his country. This was yet another 20-goal season for enigmatic forward, one that – at the time – was deemed his most effective to date. Although disrupted by a hamstring injury in January, Wayne offered a key contribution as the Reds won the Premier League and the League Cup and reached the Champions League final for a second year running. He also produced a Man-of-the-Match performance as he scored the winner in the Club World Cup final against LDU Quito in Japan. Towards the season's climax, Wayne showcased his versatility, operating from the left flank with particularly devastating effect in the 5-2 win over Spurs, once again highlighting his value to the club in another successful season.
2009/10
Arguably Wayne’s finest season at Old Trafford, this was the year in which many would say he cemented his world-star status. Following the summer departures of Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney was tasked with spearheading United’s attack and by the end of the campaign had exhausted all possible superlatives, deservedly named PFA Player of the Year by his peers. He brought up a century of career strikes for United against Wigan in August, while a hat-trick at Portsmouth was another early highlight. It was after Christmas when the no.10 really clicked into gear, however, embarking on a run of 18 goals in 13 games, a sequence that included four strikes in one game against Hull and winners in both the semi and final of the League Cup. Seven consecutive headers told their own story – the six-yard box was now the predator's predominant territory. There was even talk of Denis Law’s club record of 46 goals in a season coming under threat, heights that may have been reached were it not for a late season injury sustained away to Bayern Munich.
2010/11
Following his net-busting exploits of the previous season, it was perhaps hardly surprising that Rooney didn’t quite reach the same dizzying levels of performance in the 10/11 campaign. He did however, put pen to paper on a new five-year contract in the October of 2010, but this came following a protracted saga with much to-ing and fro-ing, creating an unnecessary off-field distraction. He gradually regained his mojo, netting a penalty at Ibrox in the Champions League before a thunderous bicycle kick in the derby that will live long in the memory. A vitally important hat-trick against West Ham helped to secure a 4-2 comeback win which was followed by another penalty – this time against Blackburn Rovers – that sealed a record 19th title. He also brought United back into contention in the Champions League final at Wembley, levelling the scores against Barcelona.
2011/12
Wayne was straight into his work in the 11/12 season, netting nine times in the first six Premier League outings including back-to-back hat-tricks against Arsenal and Bolton. A temporary move into a midfield role after the derby defeat to Manchester City at Old Trafford displayed his versatility, but it was at the sharp end where his best work was undertaken. He hit nine doubles, including a memorable brace against Liverpool, and found the net against all of United’s other chief rivals, leading from the front in the FA Cup triumph at the Etihad Stadium – arguably his best performance of the season. He also slammed home five goals in only seven European fixtures. Demanding possession, influencing games from deep and carefully probing for openings by feeding the wingers and his fellow forwards were all signs of Rooney’s growing maturity as a player in this campaign. By channelling his aggression into his play, he evolved into a very different striker to the one plucked from Everton as a teenager.
2012/13
The summer purchase of Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa gave Sir Alex Ferguson rich attacking options in 12/13, and consequently the burden of scoring the bulk of United’s goals was removed from Wayne’s shoulders (having topped the club scoring charts in two of the previous three seasons). That allowed the manager to experiment with his no.10, who often popped up in central midfield (where he demonstrated a Scholes-like penchant for a pass out to the wing), out wide or at the tip of a new-look diamond. Rooney’s campaign was punctuated by injury and illness, but when fit he showcased all the talents that have propelled him to the top of the game. He scored his first goals of the season in October’s 4-2 win over Stoke and by December was hitting top form, just in time for the crucial pre-Christmas visit to Manchester City. With 30 minutes gone in the derby at the Etihad, Wayne had already scored twice and while the Blues fought back, van Persie’s late winner finished the job Wayne had so effectively started, landing a key blow on the road to our 20th title.
2013/14
United’s no.10 was one the Reds' star performers in 13/14, top scoring with 19 goals. One of David Moyes’ first changes as manager was to reinstate Rooney to his favoured position in behind the main striker and he was soon thriving. He scored five times in as many matches in a fruitful September - a return that brought his first Player of the Month award. Two more followed in November and December, with Rooney back to his effervescent best. A month on from signing a four-year contract extension in February, the striker produced a moment of true genius, scoring from fully 50 yards against West Ham at Upton Park. The audacious effort was later to be voted United’s Goal of the Season. Wayne also scored twice in Ryan Giggs’s first match as interim manager, to reach 19 for the season, only for injury to end his campaign early. He was voted as the Reds’ best outfield player by fans as David De Gea pipped him to the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year award.
2014/15
Rooney’s 14/15 season began with a memorable personal achievement when the England international was made club captain by new manager Louis van Gaal. “It is a huge honour for me – and for my family – to be named captain of this great club,” Rooney commented. “It is a role I will perform with great pride.” True to his word, the skipper would go on to relish his new position in the dressing room, making a number of impassioned speeches ahead of crunch games in the final months of the campaign. On the pitch, Wayne netted 14 goals and was particularly imperious at Old Trafford where he bagged 11 times in 15 league appearances, including a memorable volley against Aston Villa. As ever, Wayne’s effort through the season was undiminishing and highlighted what an accomplished player he is.
2015/16
The skipper’s 12th Reds campaign ignited in his fifth game, as Rooney scored a hat-trick in the second leg of the Champions League play-off against Club Brugge - the eighth treble of his United career. Having moved level with Denis Law in the club’s overall goal standings thanks to a strike against CSKA Moscow, only Sir Bobby Charlton now stood between Rooney and the top spot. A blistering purple patch, including a run of seven goals in seven games, took him to 244 – just five short of Charlton’s mark. The excitement surrounding the record was quickly subdued, however, when Rooney sustained a knee injury in mid-February, ruling him out for two months. He returned to start the final eight games of the season, bolstering the Reds' FA Cup run and playing in a midfield role where he excelled with his awareness, work rate and range of passing. One such performance came in the FA Cup final, as Wayne added a cherished winner’s medal to complete his collection of domestic silverware.
