Wayne Rooney looks set to start on the bench again for Manchester United tonight against Liverpool, and it will be a particularly poignant in the decline of his career.
The striker joined United from Everton, and so the derby game has double meaning for Rooney. He’s had plenty of memorable moments in Liverpool fixtures over the years, often as United captain.
But with Marcus Rashford, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Anthony Martial all apparently undroppable for Jose Mourinho, who finally seems to have achieved some balance in his team without Rooney, a return looks unlikely. The speed and dynamism of Jurgen Klopp’s side mean that a midfield place is also probably off the table.
It will be a sad moment for English football to see one of the last local lads removed from this historic matchup. We can only hope that Rooney can really leave his mark on the game with a late goal as a substitute.