Wayne Rooney has seen his standing in world football drop vastly in recent years, with the Red Devils skipper no longer being a guaranteed member of the England squad and struggling to find a regular spot at Manchester United.

The 31-year-old is reportedly surplus to requirements at Manchester United, having been informed by Jose Mourinho he’s free to leave the club, and it seems increasingly likely that a return to boyhood club Everton is on the cards- potentially on a free transfer.

Since signing for Manchester United from the Toffees in 2004, following a starring performance at the European Championships, Rooney instantly became a hit at Old Trafford and has been the main man at the club for over a decade.

However, that situation has now changed, with Rooney no longer considered good enough to lead the line as a striker, and his exit from Manchester United signals a new dawn- and he’s going to be very difficult to replace.

Reports suggest the Red Devils are continuing to chase Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata but the Spaniard will have a lot of work to do if he is to show the sort of performances that Rooney consistently displayed at his prime.

Losing Rooney isn’t a bitter blow to the side currently, as a plethora of talent is at Mourinho’s disposal and appears to be a better fit, but finding the sort of player that can equal Rooney’s importance over the next decade is an almost impossible task.

On paper, the only player out there many would consider to be good enough to fill the void left by Rooney is Harry Kane- and Tottenham Hotspur are extremely unlikely to sanction a deal to a Premier League rival who they’ve finished above in each of the last two campaigns.

World-class strikers are currently at a premium in modern football and Morata is unlikely to fix all of Manchester United problems, which is a concern as it appears they have no alternatives- having already missed out on Antoine Griezmann.

Rooney’s departure will increase the pressure on the likes of Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan, both of whom arrived for staggering fees last summer, and the entire squad will need to perform to a better standard to show they’re still capable of going toe-to-toe with the Premier League’s finest in an attempt to land the title.