The Red Devils' mercurial striker finds redemption in Germany with a magnificent performance to put his side within touching distance of the Champions League final
Wayne Rooney was the last Manchester United staff member to board the team coach at the Veltins-Arena following a near-perfect display by club and player.
But there were no glances at watches or impatient glares in his direction. United’s motorbike police escort patiently lingered while Sir Alex Ferguson was deep in conversation at the front of the coach with a club official.
United had waited for more than half the season, indeed the best part of 12 months, for their talisman to rediscover the bullish brilliance that made him one of the most feared attackers in the game. Another five minutes would not make any difference.
Rooney was all smiles as he chatted to reporters and then signed autographs and posed for photos with executive Schalke and United supporters who had formed a long queue of appreciation outside the main entrance.
Deep in the bowels of this marvellous stadium he had even been prepared to address the embarrassing contract saga last October which had tarnished his image inside and outside of Old Trafford far more than lurid tabloid tales, the elbow on James McCarthy and the four-letter outpouring into a camera lens.
The irony of being so close to leaving the club whose ambition he had questioned but who now have one hand on the Premier League trophy and a third Champions League final in four years firmly within their grasp was not lost on a sheepish-looking Rooney.
“I made a mistake,” he told his inquisitors. “I admitted that and apologised for that. That was in my mind a long time ago.
“When you look at it now, how wrong was I? We are one step from the final and in the league we are in a very strong position.”
Kicking into gear | Rooney's performance levels have shot up in recent weeks
The focus, Rooney added, was on being successful and adding to a medal haul that already includes three Premier League titles, two League Cups and the 2008 Champions League crown.
As the marquee games come thick and fast, United are looking stronger and stronger. Rooney, so ineffective as he struggled for acceleration, touch and the whereabouts of the goal in the first six months of the season, has been outstanding as a potentially momentous campaign for his club reaches its zenith.
Brilliant in the two Chelsea quarter-final games, he was even more majestic as he buried the ghosts of his 2006 World Cup shame. It had been here that a Rooney with more hair but less baggage had been dismissed for stamping on Ricardo Carvalho.
Against Schalke, Rooney was everywhere, pinging short and long-range passes, dropping deep, harrying and creating, linking expertly with Javier Hernandez in front of him, Antonio Valencia to his right and the midfielders and defenders to his rear.
It was a complete No.10 performance. After creating umpteen chances for Hernandez and company only to be denied by the superlative goalkeeping of Manuel Neuer, Rooney’s glorious reverse pass put Ryan Giggs through on goal in the 67th minute and the veteran calmly slotted between the German’s legs.
Two minutes later, the creator turned finisher. After being slid through by his partner-in-chaos, Hernandez, Rooney also opted for placement rather than power and Schalke’s goal was breached once again.
At times, it felt last night that we were watching the reincarnation of Peter Schmeichel, such was the astounding ability of Neuer to find an answer to the most inquisitive of questions thrown at him.
There were periods in the first half when it seemed that even if Sir Alex Ferguson had untied a flock of pigeons in the technical area with instructions to hone in on the Germany international’s goal, he would have calmly caught every one and placed them in a cage for safe keeping.
 "Schalke were unceremoniously swept aside in front of their magnificent fans, who deserve great credit for their thunderous support here but who also acknowledged that United were operating on a different plane" |
But not even the majestic, Bayern Munich-bound Neuer can stop United marching towards Wembley for another opportunity to close in on the Champions League trophy counts of Europe’s glitterati – Real Madrid, AC Milan, Liverpool, Ajax and Bayern Munich.
Schalke were unceremoniously swept aside in front of their magnificent blue-shirted fans, who deserve great credit for their thunderous support here but who also acknowledged that United were operating on a different planet.
Rooney’s standing ovation from the United fans when he was subbed in the 83rd minute was matched by applause from many sections of the Gelsenkirchen faithful.
The semi-final stage has been one step too far for a team who have punched far above their weight in Europe’s elite competition this season.
It will be a major surprise if the return leg is anything other than a procession for Ferguson’s hungry team, who are peaking at just the right time.
Rooney’s road to redemption has been a long and painful one. Increasingly, it seems that it has been worth the wait.
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