The Moment A Brave Wayne Rooney Returned To The Pitch With An Injury Showed His Elite Mentality

Wayne Rooney's incredible match-winning mentality was shown in 2011 when he came back on the pitch for Manchester United in their Premier League clash with West Brom.

The 35-year-old former striker enjoyed a glittering career at Old Trafford as he surpassed the legendary Sir Bobby Charlton as United's record scorer.

Rooney's 13 years at United saw him lift five Premier League titles, a Champions League, a Europa League, an FA Cup and three League Cups.

The United legend might have had his differences with former Red Devils boss Sir Alex Ferguson, but his work ethic and mentality were truly special on the pitch.

Rooney exhibited both of the aforementioned qualities during United's 2011 New Year's Day clash with West Brom at the Hawthorns.

The former United captain's header fired the Red Devils into the lead in the third minute before James Morrison pulled back an equaliser in the 14th minute.

Javier Hernandez restored United's lead late in the second half after he headed in from a Rooney corner.

However, Rooney was forced to leave the pitch after suffering an ankle injury from Chris Brunt's late tackle.

With United only leading 2-1 and having no substitutions left, the Red Devils had to absorb the pressure from West Brom as they clung on for a win.

Despite the injury, Rooney showed his elite mentality as he asked for his return to the pitch and bravely fought on through the pain.

"Rooney was the ultimate warrior for Manchester United. He was Sir Alex Ferguson on the pitch," one fan said.

While someone else posted: "Passion exemplified. An absolute warrior giving his all for the cause. That is the difference between Man Utd of yore [and] the team playing these days."

A third wrote: "The definition of a true footballer. Did everything to win a game, even if he had to sacrifice himself for it."

And a fourth simply added: "What a legend of the club, and his dedication and commitment second to none. Will always be a legend at Old Trafford."

Rooney left United in 2017 and returned to boyhood club Everton for a brief second spell.

England's record scorer went on to play for DC United and Derby County before he retired from football in January.

Rooney is currently in his first managerial spell at Derby, having previously been an interim player-manager for the Championship club.

Featured Image Credit: YouTube

Topics: Football, West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Wayne Rooney

Adnan Riaz

Adnan Riaz is a journalist for SPORTbible. He studied for a B.A. in History at the University of York and followed it up with an M.A. in Multimedia Journalism at MMU. Before he started writing about sports, he spent over four years in the gaming press. He has worked for several publications, including Hardcore Gamer, LADbible and the Manchester Evening News. Follow him on Twitter to find out what he is working on next. Got a story tip for Adnan? Email him: [email protected]

@AdnanRiaz9