Audio By Carbonatix
The Dutchman is clearly irked by the England international's lack of goals and will opt to start loan signing Radamel Falcao in his position.
Preference for Falcao would see Rooney occupy a midfield role - pushing £37.1m signing Juan Mata completely out of the starting eleven.
The manager said: "Rooney can play in more positions, he’s a multi-functional player and I have tried him in a striker’s position. He’s played well but not spectacular and Falcao is a striker and I think he can do it better."
Van Gaal's sentiments are indicative of his no-nonsense approach to life as a Premier League manager, and fortunately for him - Rooney agrees.
Rooney said: "I’m happy to play out wide - I can do a job there and I can do a job up front. It depends on the situation of each game and what the manager wants me to do.
"I’m not the player I was – I feel I’ve progressed my game.
“So I agree with the people who say my game has changed. I [did] too much running when I was younger and then didn’t have the energy to get myself into goalscoring positions in the box."
Latest Stories
-
GoldBod cannot hide behind agency role to escape accountability – Afenyo-Markin
2 minutes -
‘You don’t get to keep the fees and disown the costs’ – Afenyo-Markin challenges GoldBod
7 minutes -
GNPC turns 40, targets oil production recovery and $3.5bn fresh investment
16 minutes -
Minority will speak boldly on GoldBod losses despite attacks – Afenyo-Markin vows
21 minutes -
Moody’s upgrades EBID rating to B1, citing stronger finances and shareholder support
30 minutes -
GoldBod cannot make losses trading gold – Afenyo-Markin
38 minutes -
Papaye, KFC and Pizzaman customers among most targeted as TrustGH uncovers nearly 1,000 scam numbers cloning Google business profiles of major food chains
48 minutes -
2026 U20 WWC: ‘We are in a tough group’ – Black Princesses’ Linda Owusu Ansah
55 minutes -
2026 U20 WWC: Ghana’s Ambassador to Czech Republic welcomes Black Princesses to Poland
1 hour -
Oti NPP executives demand completion of stalled government projects
2 hours -
Jinapor demands answers as Alima Mahama is asked to pay for Embassy spending outside her tenure
2 hours -
Russia doubles scholarships for Ghanaian students to 240 annually
2 hours -
Cedi’s year-to-date loss slumps to 4.09% as recent gains gather pace
2 hours -
‘Home has spoken’ – Justin Kodua Frimpong says as Ashanti delegates back his re-election bid
2 hours -
Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, seven others’ NPA case adjourned to August 27
2 hours