When you consider how bereft this United side has looked in the forward department – the Red Devils have yet to score a Premier League goal since the last international break over a month ago – then Rooney’s return to scoring form in the 89th minute in Istanbul might be seen by some as a sign that the club captain is knocking on the door once more.
But Mourinho must see the bigger picture right now, with the 31-year-old sitting far from the center of the United manager’s plans for a reason. Rooney’s goal Thursday well have been the 247th he has netted over his 12-year career at Old Trafford, but it is worth remembering all the things that combined to force him out of the first XI to begin with.