Goalscorer Preview - Manchester United v Wigan Athletic: Wayne Rooney

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is expected to make his long anticipated return from injury during the Premier League game against Wigan Athletic at Old Trafford.

Rooney has been out of action because of an ankle injury. He trained alone in the United States last week and United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has hinted there is a good chance he will use Rooney for this weekend’s Premier League game.

Rooney is one of the most powerful strikers in football who will surely be determined to put the negative press of the recent past to one side. Now that a new contract has been signed Rooney should be focused on trying to go what he does best; scoring goals.

Rooney has only made five appearances for United so far this season and has scored only one goal in the process. However, he will have a determination within himself to prove to everyone that he is the best striker in the Premier League and looks a solid bet at 11/13 to score at any time during the Wigan game.

It’s unclear whether Rooney is likely to start against Wigan or come off of the bench. He is at his best when he is given a free role to play right at the very top of the attack. This will allow his potential partner (Javi Hernandez or Dimitar Berbatov) to drop down into the midfield to pick up the ball.

Rooney’s statistics this season as opposed to last season are not comparable in any form. Rooney is still 38 goals behind his combined tally of 40 for the last campaign and this is not something that will please the Evertonian.

Ferguson will know the right way to use Rooney during the match against Wigan. It could be very tempting to play Rooney from the start because he will already be straining at the end of a very short leash. However, the safer bet is to start him from the bench and bring him on for a cameo and hopefully a goal later in the game.