Rooney begins long road to redemption

"In the city where Alex Ferguson grew up, the Manchester United manager will now be hoping he has seen his star striker born again.

Wayne Rooney made his first start for United in two months but, with all that has gone on in that time, documented fanatically on the tabloid front pages, it feels like a lot longer ago.

The days when he was a post-World Cup pariah, let alone scoring for fun and winning every individual award going, seem like moments in the career of a different player altogether.

After returning from his Oregon boot camp/sponsor marketing opportunity trimmed down and refreshed, he got the moment he visualised would send him on the road to redemption when he scored the winning penalty against Rangers three minutes from time.

United's newly lean, mean, set-piece scoring machine celebrated ecstatically after firing home the spot-kick, which ensured United's progression from Champions League Group C.

He may have had a mixed reception upon his return to action at Old Trafford last weekend, but at least he can count on one fan's affection. A pitch invader ran on to the Ibrox turf and leapt on the prostrate Rooney, locking him in an unbreakable embrace not seen on the field of play since Terry Phelan held on to Ray Houghton for dear life at the Giants Stadium in 1994.

It is, of course, going to take a lot more than a mediocre performance and one conversion from 12 yards to win over the majority of the United faithful.

The expression of his desire to leave the club will not be easily forgotten, not least for the way it highlighted the very real problems the club can expect to have in competing financially with their rivals as long as the Glazers are in charge.

At least Rooney is aware enough to reference the fact that he has plenty of work to do if he is going to win back the hearts and minds of United's fans.

"Not all the fans are going to want to be singing my name all the time and I fully accept that," he said. "But I have to go out and prove to the fans I am here to stay and I want to work.

"Only I can say how I feel, and I know 100 per cent it was nothing to do with money."
In purely footballing terms, a return of just two goals from eight games so far this season - both penalties - is a poor one.

Rooney now has three matches against teams in the bottom half of the table - Blackburn, West Ham and Blackpool - before a trio of fixtures versus top opposition, in Valencia, Arsenal and Chelsea give way to the Christmas period. 

Once he has got through those games, we will know a lot more about the effect of Rooney's hiatus."