By NEIL CUSTIS
PANNED in Poland but a hero back at Old Trafford.
The claim is Wayne Rooney can’t transfer his club form on to the international stage often enough.
Well, if ever there was an example of the chalk and cheese performances that can follow him from the Red shirt of United to the Three Lions of England it came this week.
Ineffective in Warsaw as England laboured to a 1-1 draw.
His passing was astray, his best chance spooned over the bar, his demeanour one of someone not enjoying his game.
The unfavourable reports followed. This morning the headlines will make a lot more comfortable reading.
Ten years to the week that he scored his first club goal with that stunning strike against Arsenal for Everton, he reached the 200 mark with a brace against Stoke. That is some going for a player who celebrates his 27th birthday on Wednesday.
Yesterday, he was involved in five of the six goals scored, he started the move that led to one, directly assisted another and scored one for Stoke for good measure.
They were his first goals of what has already been a rollercoaster season for the star and we are only in October. Dropped after the first game amidst doubts over his long-term United future, injured and out of action after the second game, now very much back with a bang.
He just loves to be involved no matter where the action is.
Not quite in the way he would have liked, however, at the start of this game.
Ferguson said it was clear what United were to expect from Stoke.
Long throws, good set-pieces, and dangerous deliveries into the area. He didn’t allow for Rooney being on the end of one for an 11th-minute own goal.
A foul by Paul Scholes, one of three that brought just a single yellow in the first half, gave away a free-kick.
Charlie Adam provided the delivery into the six-yard box and Rooney, under pressure from Ryan Shawcross, headed down and past David De Gea.
But United hit back in the 27th minute and it was redemption for Rooney.
Picking the ball up in a central area he pinged a pass out to Robin van Persie. He continued his run and slipped between two defenders to meet the return cross and head home from six yards.
From that moment, United shifted through the gears and Rooney took control.
He fed Antonio Valencia on the right in the 44th minute to provide a cross that was met by the outstretched boot of Van Persie and diverted in.
Then, a minute after the break, they had scored again with Rooney the creator this time.
His delivery from the right was curled in behind the Stoke defence and Danny Welbeck eased between two defenders to meet it with a diving header into the bottom corner of the goal.
It could have been four just a moment later as another cross from Rooney this time found Jonny Evans with a far-post header.
But Asmir Begovic produced a fantastic point-blank stop that left the Northern Ireland international with his head in his hands.
From game almost over it was suddenly game back on when in the 58th minute Stoke pulled a goal back.
It was a solo effort from Michael Kightly who burst from the halfway line, took advantage of a deflection off Rio Ferdinand’s heel and then despatched a low shot under the dive of De Gea and into the far bottom corner.
For the fourth time this season, United had conceded two or more.
But Rooney was not finished and restored the cushion on 65 minutes.
The ball fell to him at the back post from a Van Persie corner and he duly poked it home.
The big man is back.
