Why we can’t keep relying on Rooney

Everything was going our way. We were flying in the league and heading for a third successive Champions League final.

Then Wayne Rooney picked up that injury in Munich and the wheels fell from both our domestic and European campaigns.

It hardly came as a surprise. Though it was brilliant to watch Rooney in the form of his life and almost single-handedly keeping us in the race for honours, you couldn’t help wondering what would happen if he were out for a length of time.

Next season we must be in a position where we can rest Rooney and not fall to pieces should he succumb to injury. He’s going to be playing at World Cup 2010 over the summer and it is natural for players to return from such a tournament feeling tired.

Will our options be better than last season? If Berbatov is still at Old Trafford, there’s little to suggest that he will go from scoring the dozen goals a season, to the 20+ goals that we need from him.

Michael Owen is likely to be mostly used as an impact substitute and his fitness can never be guaranteed. Macheda and Diouf show promise, but are they ready to step up to the plate and deliver? I wouldn’t be surprised if at least one went out on loan next season to gain experience.

All of which will put a lot of pressure on Javier Hernandez if he’s granted a work permit and joins us. Can we really expect that much of him in his first season?

What we’re crying out for is another experienced striker, but we’re also crying out for the same type of quality in midfield and money is tight.

I for one will be watching the World Cup and praying that Rooney comes back in one piece. World Cup Betting suggests England could go quite a long way in the tournament, so fingers crossed.