Wayne Rooney: Manchester United captain 'failed by his managers' playing him out of position, says Ruud Gullit

The former Dutch international believes Rooney would have developed more as a player had he been deployed in one position throughout his career

The question of Wayne Rooney's positioning remains unanswered - for now at least (Getty)

Wayne Rooney has been failed by managers playing him out of position, according to Ruud Gullit.

Rooney has already surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton’s England goals record and is approaching his long-standing haul for Manchester United.

But the former Dutch international believes Rooney would have developed more as a player had he been deployed in one position.

The England captain has spent much of his career being shifted about the pitch in an effort to accommodate others.

This adaptability, however, has come to undermine the player’s career, Gullit believes, and has proved detrimental to his development on the pitch.

“I’ve seen so many coaches or managers over the years mess Rooney about,” Gullit said.

“They’ve been juggling him between the No.10 position, the striker’s position or an attacking role from the left. Sir Alex, in the end, used him in that role.

“I feel that Wayne has never been able to focus on one position during his career.

“Rooney is a player who could play very well in the No.10 position, as a kind of a fake striker.”

“Somehow it was always depending of the players around him, or the way the opposition played, where managers decided to put Rooney in the team.”

Rooney played in a variety of positions under Sir Alex Ferguson, while England manager Sam Allardyce has already faced questions about his decision to push the 30-year-old back to a deep-lying role in Sunday’s 1-0 over Slovakia.

Wayne Rooney starred in a deep role for England against Slovakia in Sunday's fixture (Getty)

“To a certain extent I can see the point of a manager, but for Rooney this has often worked in a negative way,” Gullit added.

“The fact is that that all these changes of positions for him in different games and under different managers led to continuous debates about his ideal role and position.

“Ever since Rooney started playing at top level, which is most of his career, the media have been wondering ‘Is he a striker or a No.10?’

“In my opinion it’s a very superficial debate most of the time, as this was mainly instigated by the amount of goals he was scoring. If Rooney didn’t score for three weeks, he suddenly was a No.10 again.

“If he scored two goals as a No.10, he should play as a striker again in the eyes of all the experts in the media.

“I feel sorry for him as I don’t think Rooney will ever be without this massive debate during the rest of his career. People will never stop discussing his position.”

Rooney is expected to line up for United this Saturday as they take on City in one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures of the season.