United cannot afford to develop a hang-up about life without Wayne Rooney. If this was a glimpse into the future when the red-hot hitman might need to put his feet up briefly, is crocked or serving a suspension, then it doesn’t augur too well.
The 25-year-old needs to be wrapped up in cotton wool on this evidence.
The infusion of youth into Sir Alex Ferguson’s recipe for success has certainly been a major factor in United's effervescent start to the season. But there is little argument it is Rooney who has been the powerhouse that has propped it all up.
A stunning nine goals from the five Premier League matches this season has galvanised United.
Opponents have wilted and colleagues have fed off his inspirational start.
It has been in complete contrast to last season’s opening when he was a tortured figure and the Reds suffered as a result of Rooney’s misery. It is no coincidence that United’s least productive attacking 90 minutes of the campaign came while Rooney was back home in deepest Cheshire nursing a slight hamstring injury and tweeting instead of tormenting.
It is ironic that United should drop points at the Britannia Stadium for the first time in the Premier League in a season when they have been such an intimidating force.
Almost 12 months ago they were enveloped in the Rooney contract saga, struggling for impact and yet they won in the Potteries without the England striker.
It doesn’t add up unless Rooney’s flying form is the reason.
Hopefully, there won’t be too many opportunities to discover the answer to that conundrum.
Of course, 12 months ago it was Javier Hernandez’s two goals against Stoke that forced the victory. Just eight minutes into this match he was joining Rooney on the sidelines.
The Mexican is either having some bad luck or he has been identified for robust treatment after last term’s sensational impact.
Having survived Ashley Cole’s reckless challenge last weekend against Chelsea, this time he felt the weight of Jonathan Woodgate as the defender crunched into him just before he pulled the trigger to shoot the Reds into a lead.
Mystery
How on earth referee Peter Walton could dismiss the penalty claims was a mystery.
It all looked suspiciously like an early plan to soften up a United side already rocking from the injuries picked up in their Friday training session.
Without the first-choice strike force it was down to others to square up to Stoke.
Step forward, in no particular order, Nani, David de Gea and Phil Jones.
Nani provided some of the creativity that was lacking in the centre of midfield and the penetration lacking from the stand-in forwards.
He was the one United player who ruffled Stoke’s feathers whenever he was on the ball and once again showed he has an excellent repertoire when it comes to pulling off a wonder goal.
A one-two with Darren Fletcher allowed him to slalom towards goal and then let fly with a quality strike.
Stoke, backed by their vociferous support, had already imposed their trademark style on United’s defence and Nani’s opener failed to take the wind out of their sails.
But Jones and De Gea were immense with their resistance.
This was clearly going to be the Spanish keeper’s true introduction to some of the less refined tactics in England.
But he didn’t flinch and those early concerns about his aerial susceptibility have now been put to bed.
His shot-stopping has never been questioned and he provided more of that natural ability to keep Wilkinson, Walters and Wilson out at various stages.
Jones’ introduction to life at Old Trafford has been uncomplicated and very impressive and having prepared for another right-back stint in the run-up for this match was thrust back into the centre following Jonny Evans’ warm-up injury. He quickly adjusted his mental approach and, aided by Rio Ferdinand’s return, was rarely disturbed by Peter Crouch and Johnathan Walters.
It was a pity that the triumvirate of De Gea, Ferdinand and Jones had one lapse and that cost United the points.
There was a debate as to who was the biggest culprit when Matthew Etherington’s corner sailed into Crouch territory.
Trouble
It went over Jones, came down before Ferdinand and de Gea stayed on his line.
It left a simple header from Crouch to level it up.
Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen had proved they were enviable back up at Leeds in the Carling Cup last week but this was a different scenario and neither could seriously trouble Stoke in response.
A far-post volley wide from sub Ryan Giggs almost snatched United one of their famous late victories.
By which time Rooney’s Twitter account had gone quiet.
Let’s hope it stays that way in future when United are in action.
What do you think? Have your say.
Stoke 1 Manchester United 1: Stuart Mathieson match analysis
September 26, 2011
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Funny, if Rooney plays and United win, he gets the credit. If United lose while he's playing it's everyone else's fault. If he doesn't play and United win, it's all about salivating over how much better United will be when he returns, and downplaying the efforts of his stand-ins. And of course of United lose without Rooney, it's because the great saviour isn't present in the side.
With and without Rooney, United have not been the same scintillating side since the Arsenal game. The incisive runs and intricate passing through the midfield are largely missing, meaning that United have laregly reverted to the football of the previous couple of seasons, fast break counter attacks from deep in defence or one-dimensional wing play on more controlled build-ups. What was making life so difficult for teams earlier in the season was that United were coming at them from all angles in the final third of the pitch, making it extremely difficult to defend against them - the football on show was some of the best I've seen from United in years. Is Cleverly's absence to blame, so soon after breaking into the side? He and Anderson were cutting teams to ribbons in the middle of the pitch with their runs and clever passing. Since Cleverly went down, Anderson seems to have lost his drive and developed a lead foot where his passing is concerned. Further, Young seems to have lost some of his early sparkle when cutting in. Put it all together, and the only player left making any kind of an impact through the middle is Nani when he cuts in from the flanks. Rooney? The guy never has, and never will, be able to do much of anything through the middle, despite all the crap about how much he contributes when he falls back into a midfield pocket. He can't beat a defender one-on-one to save his life, frequently coughs up the ball when he tries, and ends up lamely passing the ball backwards or laterally - for this he's lauded as some sort of pseudo midfield general in the making. He can be relied upon to set up the odd decent pass (the laws of averages do work out eventually!) but it's offset by all the passes that go nowhere or end up with the defence. Anderson got hauled over the coals for it this weekend - the silence when Rooney does it is as habitually as he's guilty of is positively deafening. Rooney relies on the efforts of others (crosses, one-two parries with team mates to help him cut through) for breaks through the midfield - yet he's lousy at setting up his own strike partners, which is why they often go missing in big games as better defenders lean on Rooney by pressuring him, knowing he has to lay the ball off to someone else. One defender can handle Rooney in the final third of the pitch, making it all the easier for others to mark and close down the other threats. Nani, by comparison, draws 2 - 3 defenders because he's such a tricky customer to deal with, which opens up the field for others, yet it's not an aspect to his game that can really be quantified statistically, even though it virtually counts as an assist when others score under such circumstances. Berbatov, though not quite the canny player as far as cutting through, equally draws 2- 3 defenders at a time simply through his exquisite ball skills, strength, and ability to hold the ball when being harried - again, he gets no kudos for it, even though, like Nani's play, it helps to open up the field.