Wayne Rooney immortalised with Wembley mural

How were great footballers recognised in the past? How were those with great achievements recognised? Well, you'd wait until they retired - at least, often for them to reach old age or just thoroughly expire - and then give them a statue, a bust, a song or perhaps a collection of their medals in the club museum.

Now, it's different. Thierry Henry had his statue outside the Emirates before he even stopped playing, despite never winning more than a Premier League with Arsenal. Alan Shearer had a restaurant at St James Park once he left, but it was replaced with the name 'Number 9s' after he criticised Mike Ashley.

Here we are. Rooney is no great, but his achievements are. A Champions League, several English leagues, and the highest ever scorer for England. He is, too, in touching distance of becoming the highest ever scorer for Manchester United.

Rooney, sadly, has not been able to keep his body functioning in tandem with the desires of his mind. Through injury, bad luck or poor diet, it's not working for him at the moment. Perhaps, like Lassana Diarra, Steed Malbranque and Paul Scholes, he'd be another ageing player to take a little time off before coming back refreshed. There's no chance of that happening, obviously, and he has Euro 2016 to occupy him this summer too. In reality, the demands placed upon him due to his achievements are preventing him from achieving anything more significant.

That's not really in the mural given to him by England, but it should have been.