The Value of Wayne Rooney's Red Card

15th September 2005

Wayne Rooney's sending-off last night will no doubt provide fuel for the many critics who lambast the behaviour of the Manchester United and England protégé and criticise him for being a poor role model. But I see his sending off as a positive thing.

Aggression is an important factor in his success as a player. But it needs to be channelled in the right direction.

Despite this being his fourth Premiership season, Rooney is still very young (19). Experiences such as his sending off last night - and having to watch the next match from the bench - will help him to learn and channel his aggression in the right direction.

I suspect this won't be the last time Rooney is sent off, but I hope the additional red cards come soon, so that they have a rose-pruning impact and encourage this precocious talent to flower.

Background

(Derived from Yahoo Sports)

In his first three seasons, Wayne Rooney played 93 games whilst collecting 19 yellow cards and one red card; this made yesterday's sending off the second red card of his top flight career.