Whatever the reasons, Rooney will stand at a crossroads when he walks out at the City Stadium here tomorrow night for England's crunch World Cup qualifier with Montenegro.
And Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to drop him for the game against Real Madrid earlier this month was not as big a shock as it once might have been.
It followed rumours that Ferguson has lost patience with Rooney and is considering selling him at the end of the season.
Owen's career was cut short by his brittle body. Rooney is an ox of a man but his fragility lies in his temperament.
So the match against Montenegro, the tie that holds the key to England's qualification for next year's World Cup, comes at a critical time in Rooney's career. It is a match where he can prove that he can continue to thrive, not fade away.
And if he can help lead the team to a positive result, it is a match that can enable him to start dreaming about making a major impact at the tournament in Brazil.
First of all, he needs to keep his discipline. The images of what happened the last time he played here still linger.
Off grid: England's Wayne Rooney (C) is given a red card during the Euro 2012 group G qualifying football match Montenegro vs England in Podgorica
When he did finally appear at the tournament, after an ill-judged summer holiday in Las Vegas, he never seemed properly match fit. If he can avoid the self-destruct button, though, there is no reason why he should not continue to be England's most important player.
That is partly what has cost him in the past. That and simple bad luck. Injury ruined his 2006 World Cup and probably contributed to his lethargy in 2010, too.
But the repeated criticism that he has never quite lived up to the stellar beginning to his career at Euro 2004 doesn't stack up.
He has scored 34 goals for his country now and if he stays clear of the injuries that blighted Owen's career, he will surely break Sir Bobby Charlton's England scoring record.
He has won the Champions League with United and played in three finals. He has got four Premier League winners' medals and is about to get a fifth.
He suffers, of course, in comparison with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. But are those comparisons really fair?
In many ways, in fact, he is the ultimate team player. Match after match, he sacrifices his own talent for the good of the side.
He will play on the left side of midfield when Ferguson asks him to, even though many feel it is a waste of his talent.
He was Ronaldo's workhorse when the two men played at Old Trafford together and now he is becoming Van Persie's too. He should not be denigrated for that, though. He should be praised for it. Particularly when he has such a fine scoring record for club and country.
There is no point drawing any wider conclusions about England's prospects from their mauling of San Marino on Friday night.
But Rooney was England's best player in the 8-0 win, dropping deep, spraying sumptuous passes around the pitch, working hard, scoring a fine free-kick.
There is no reason why he should not be as influential tomorrow night in the hostile environment of the City Stadium.
He is still England's stand-out attacker, still the man capable of turning the game with a brilliant pass or a breathtaking goal.
He has not suffered the kind of injuries that Owen suffered. Discipline, on and off the field, is his Achilles heel.
If he can master that, he can be the man not only who makes the difference against Montenegro but who makes an impact at a major tournament for the first time in a decade.
Via: [Live Football] Al - Faysaly - Al - Hilal - Saudi League
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