Wayne Rooney needs a sharper Manchester United focus

By Tim Rich Of the 50,000 who crammed into Newlands to see Manchester United draw the opening game of their tour of South Africa, around a fifth possessed vuvuzelas - long plastic horns that will become the sound of the next World Cup. And when, after 64 fitful minutes Wayne Rooney trudged off, they sounded as one in a bleary symphony for another bleary performance from the most naturally gifted English footballer of his generation. Rooney's game is not in crisis but it lacks both edge and focus. His display in a pre-season friendly in Cape Town did not differ too much from the one in the European Cup final, in which he was substituted long before the decisive penalty shoot-out with Chelsea. There was plenty of energy but little end product. These are the kind of games that worry his supporters, who range from Fabio Capello... [read full story]