One of the biggest dilemmas facing Louis van Gaal ahead of his first game as Manchester United manager is what to do with Wayne Rooney. Van Gaal favours the 4-3-3 formation and rarely plays more than one striker. During the Netherlands' World Cup run, for example, he played Robin van Persie as the sole forward, and considering the pair have a close personal bond, it is difficult to see where Rooney fits in. He surely won't displace RVP as United's main front man, meaning he may have to settle with being shunted out wide again. In 2008, Rooney was often played in wider positions to accommodate Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, while he has been played out of position in the past to accommodate the main striker, sometimes on the left wing. This hasn't always sat well with the ex-Everton player, who has threatened to quit the club in the past due to his unhappiness at not being played in his favoured role as a centre-forward. He's going to have to accommodate for LVG's formations however, and how he responds to playing in wider areas could be one of the Dutchman's biggest headaches.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
