Chico shines as Roo left in the cold

HUNCHED in an over-sized duvet coat, the last place Wayne Rooney wanted to be on Saturday was surplus to requirements on the substitutes’ bench at a freezing St Mary’s Stadium.

As if being rested wasn’t frustrating enough, being overlooked by Alex Ferguson when the Manchester United manager needed to make changes or risk an embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of League One opponents will have cut Rooney to the core.

The striker was once the go to man when United’s fringe players were in trouble on occasions like this, a guarantee of a nerve-settling goal. Not any more. A return of three goals since March tells you all you need to know about Rooney’s diminished goal threat and at least partly explains why Ferguson kept faith with starting forwards Michael Owen and Javier Hernandez in the final half hour.