Roo: Scholes my inspiration

WAYNE Rooney will use Paul Scholes as his role model as a permanent move into a deeper role now looks a certainty for the Manchester United captain.

The 30-year-old has been deployed in midfield in the past, but has always insisted he prefers to play as the out-and-out striker he was when he first burst on to the scene as a teenager.

But he returned to that  deep-lying, quarterback role in United’s last-gasp FA Cup semi-
final success against his boyhood club Everton on Saturday.

He was one of the best players on display at Wembley, picking out passes and starting attacks, while also undertaking the defensive side of the game, including clearing a Romelu Lukaku effort off the line in the early stages.

United, who are still uncertain of a top-four finish and with manager Louis van Gaal’s future the subject of speculation, now face a May 21 FA Cup final date with Crystal Palace.

Rooney is likely to remain in his new role given the form of United’s young attacking talents Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard.

And the England skipper is now ready to use the experience of  playing alongside Scholes for so many years as a way of improving in the position.

“I’ve known for a few years, I have played there a few times throughout my career and

I can play that position,” Rooney replied when asked if he was at home in midfield.
“I have played and watched Paul Scholes play that role for years and I always knew that one day that is where I would play, so I have tried to learn and watch what he did.

“It is still early days, but  hopefully if I keep playing there I can develop and get better.”