Tottenham vs Man Utd: 5 Key Battles

5. Wayne Rooney vs. Michael Dawson

rooney dawson Having completed a full 90 minutes and scoring the winning goal on his comeback from injury, Wayne Rooney will be chomping at the bit to get a place in Sir Alex€™s starting eleven this Sunday. Before he was sidelined with a knee injury, Rooney was in decent form in the Premier League. The England striker has notched up 7 goals in 14 appearances so far, but those statistics are nowhere near what they should be considering the striker€™s own high standards. Now that he is fit, Rooney will want to add to his tally for the season, and show the United faithful that they will not just have to rely on Robin Van Persie to bang in the goals. On his day, Rooney is unplayable, and can offer far more than just goals to United€™s threat. His link-up play with his strike partners has been exceptional, and his distribution of the ball from a deeper position has been equally impressive. So if Rooney is indeed firing on all cylinders on Sunday, club-captain Michael Dawson will have to be at his very best to ensure that his England team-mate does not get the better of him. The centre-back has made just 11 league appearances for Spurs so far this season, but there is no doubt that when he plays Tottenham look far more stable and disciplined. Standing at 6ft2, the Tottenham captain is a commanding presence in the air, and is certainly no slouch when it comes to making tough tackles. An old fashioned centre-half, Dawson relies mostly on his strength and positioning to keep the opposition at bay, at he will need every ounce of it if he wants to keep United from breaching the Spurs defence.
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Contributor

A sports journalism graduate from the University of Sunderland, I'm also interested in films and games. Football is my main passion, and I'm a huge Manchester United fan. My goal in life is to get a job on Sky Sports News next to Georgie Thompson. If that fails, Jim White and his magnificent teeth are a close second. Why not follow me on Twitter @adam_fishwick2