Roy Keane comments on Manchester United star Wayne Rooney

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Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane believes that England international forward Wayne Rooney is not past his best.

Wayne Rooney may still be 28 years of age, but there are many who believe that the Manchester United striker is past his prime.

The former Everton star failed to impress for England at the 2014 World Cup finals, where the Three Lions finished bottom of Group D.

Rooney was played largely on the left wing by manager Roy Hodgson to accommodate the in-form Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, and the United star struggled.

Although Rooney has shown his versatility under former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, he did not seem to take to the left-side role and failed to perform to the best of his abilities.

There are no talks of Rooney being sold by United anytime soon – after all, he is on a bumper contract that runs until June 2019.

However, there have been suggestions that the 28-year-old may be past his peak. He burst onto the scene as a teenager for Everton, scoring that goal against Arsenal in the Premier League, and played a starring role for England at Euro 2004 until his injury against Portugal in the quarter-finals.

Although since then Rooney has gone on to establish himself as a key player for the Red Devils, winning the Premier League five times and the Champions League once, there are suggestions that he is not the same player he was a few years ago.

However, United legend and former club team-mate of Rooney, Roy Keane, believes that the striker still has a lot to offer, both to the Manchester outfit and to his country.

‘If you think Wayne Rooney’s gone, then you are sadly mistaken’, the Daily Mail quotes the 42-year-old as saying. ‘I thought he did okay (for England)… I’m sure Wayne, like lots of the players, will feel he could have done better. Top players are always quick to look at themselves, they are quite self-critical’.

When one speaks about the best players in the world at the moment, Rooney’s name is still mentioned, but often as an afterthought. Last season, he did not have the best of times under the now-sacked David Moyes and suffered with injuries as well.

However, under Van Gaal next season, Rooney will be determined to step up his game. The England star is one of the most committed players in the world and his quality cannot be doubted.

Perhaps, in the 2014-15 campaign, Rooney will rediscover his old form.