How do you solve a problem like Wayne Rooney?

This is the task facing Sir Alex Ferguson in the coming weeks. It is a busy time with the Champions League kicking off once more and the start of the Premier League sprint finish. A fit and firing Wayne Rooney would undoubtedly be one of the first names on the team sheet. This would either be in a conventional 4-4-2 with a partner or as a lone striker in a 4-3-3/4-5-1, a role he performed to such a high level last year when he almost single handedly kept us in the chase for major silverware.

This time around, he is not even first or arguably second choice striker. The emergence of Javier Hernandez and the different skill set that he brings to the pitch has left Rooney at the cross roads of his season. The new dimension offered by the little Mexican of playing on the shoulder of the last defender and his lightning pace when played through means that the Englishman is sweating on his place in the team.

Berbatov is now rightly first choice after a prolific season that has seen him notch three hat tricks amid a nineteen goal league haul. Although, the understanding between Rooney and the Bulgarian has been growing over the season, they both like to drop off the front which can often lead to a lack of presence in the penalty box. This would be solved by the addition of Hernandez who is the archetypal penalty box striker, very much in the Ole Solskjaer predator mould sniffing out chances in the six yard box. His blistering pace offers an upgrade on the great Norwegian's talents but he still has a bit to go before cementing legendary status in the eyes of the Old Trafford faithful.

Back to Rooney and it is clear that this season has not gone quite to plan. Injuries have played their part but the transfer request saga and then the rapid u-turn resulting in a bumper new contract have not helped the player's standing in the eyes of United supporters. They want to see value for money which is clearly not the case after a return of just three goals all season with just a single one from open play.

Over the last month or so, we have seen Rooney being pushed out onto the left hand side which is very reminiscent of a few years ago when the likes of Tevez and Ronaldo were prominent. What is worrying for the player is that he seems to dislike the left hand side role and is pretty ineffective from an attacking point of view. The rationale behind it is to mainly assist Patrice Evra when faced with a tricky opponent such as against Aaron Lennon or against the likes of Barcelona in the Champions League Final. He performs the role manfully but it offers very little going forward.

Some pundits have suggested that maybe we have seen the best of Wayne Rooney on a football pitch. They feel that with the build he possesses coupled with a growing injury record that his time as a top class performer is drawing to an end. Whilst this may be a tad premature, it is not quite as preposterous a thought than it felt a few months ago. His genius on the field of play has dropped by such a level that he can often be seen mis-placing a pass or failing to control a simple ball from a team mate. This was unthinkable a year ago.

The opposite argument will say that Rooney still contributes to the needs of the team and you can never criticise his worth rate. They will also state that all he needs is a solid run in the team and a few goals and it will all come flooding back. This presence on the team sheet is now in serious doubt with the form of Hernandez but it is unlikely that Sir Alex will worry too much at the moment. The crucial time will come when the big games start arriving when team selection will be crucial. Antonio Valencia could well be back in contention by then and with Nani able to play left side in addition to Giggs, the choice of a solitary striker will surely be Berbatov on current form.

A wildcard suggestion could be to try Rooney as one of the three midfielders which may well be a longer term possibility as the years advance. It would be a way of getting him into the team and he certainly has all the attributes required to perform the role. Whether he sees it as demotion is another matter but it may well be one way of extending his career into his thirties.

I would think it is likely that Sir Alex will persist with Rooney in the hope of a return to goalscoring form, knowing full well he has quality in abundance on the bench if he fails to fire. It will certainly lead to some interesting team selections in the coming weeks with plenty of rotation required to nurse the ageing United squad towards the finishing line.

How would you solve a problem like Rooney? Is it a problem at all? Please let me know your thoughts.

Please Follow me on Twitter for news on new blogs