Much has been made of Wayne Rooney's turbulent season so far. On the pitch, he has been far from convincing, and off the pitch he has made all sorts of headlines for the wrong reasons. As a Man United fan, I am still unhappy with Rooney's behaviour this season, mainly his attempts to leave the club that have given him everything. However, there is another issue which has largely been ignored, and that is over Rooney's level of fitness.
This is where Cristiano and Nani are an example to him. I include Nani simply because they are the two Portuguese players who Rooney has played with. These two players are at the peak of physical fitness. You only need to see a picture of them shirtless to realise that. If Rooney were to be compared with either of them, he would be beaten hands down. Cristiano and Nani clearly look after themselves, they care for their bodies, and it shows. There are no isses in terms of fitness. Rooney looks unfit, and when he plays, everything seems slower, and more of an effort. I know that Cristiano doesn't touch alcohol, and I doubt Nani does, but Rooney has been pictured out drinking and even smoking.
I admit that both Cristiano and Nani are more naturally athletic, but they clearly do more to help them stay that way, which concerns me. Cristiano always took centre stage when he played with Rooney, and so far, Nani is set to out shine him as well. I'm not saying that Rooney has to have perfectly formed abs ect, but from what I can see, he needs to improve his levels of fitness.
