The fact that so much of the attention after the Arsenal game was on Nani’s performance, in many ways, is a reflection on Rooney’s performances this season. Rooney was undeniably great in that game, but that’s not news anymore. Time and time again Rooney provides top drawer performances, so much so that it seems at times that we have become desensitized to his brilliance.

But with the World Cup looming, people have started to look at Rooney’s form with the big picture in mind. There’s the obvious question of whether Rooney can maintain his current level of play, which he will almost certainly have to if England are to have any chance of challenging for football’s biggest prize, but some have even been led to wonder if United’s dependance on Rooney, who has filled the void left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure admirably, will mean he gets overplayed, at the national side’s expense. In fact, with 34 starts in 35 games in all competition since August, including 23 of 23 in the Premier League, Rooney could be looking at a long and tiring season.

For now it remains to be seen how many minutes Rooney will log before the domestic season draws to a close, although England Fans must surely be hoping for Owen to return swiftly to form if only to spare Rooney’s legs. His current level of form, on the other hand, is easier to examine. The most obvious feature when looking at his stats this year is his consistency. Fantastic news for England fans, Wayne Rooney has been performing at a ridiculously high level all year. How else could he have surpassed the total set by last season’s leading scorer by the end of January?

The chart below shows Rooney’s per game averages in shots, shots on target and goals for each month of the season so far. It shows us three things worth considering.

1. Rooney has netted in every single calendar month so far. In fact the longest he has gone without a goal is three games across September and October. By contrast he had scored in 4 consecutive games prior to that, his longest such sequence of the season. Although he is currently on a 3-game run worth 6 goals.
2. There are no worrying anomalies on the graph. Although there is a slight dip in production in October, it is not significant, and the exceptionally high standard set in August simply exaggerates it. Even during a relatively ‘off’ spell, Rooney’s production was more than respectable.
3. He is excellent at taking the chances that come his way. A sudden drop in shots attempted in November, a full 2 per game less than in October, coincided with a modest upturn in shots on target and a marked increase in goals. In other words, regardless of what is going on around him, Rooney is superb at making sure he keeps the goals coming.

So while the shots attempted tend to fluctuate wildly, the shots on target and goals don’t necessarily follow, resulting in a fairly consistent output. But perhaps the best news for United fans, and potentially England fans to, is that in the last couple of months the stats are all trending upwards. So at nearly 7 shots a game, more than 2 hitting the target and a sublime 1.5 goals over January and with trends pointing upwards we have to wonder what Rooney’s limit is and if he might not just maintain this form, but exceed it in the coming months.

If he can continue to produce like this for the rest of the season, not only will he give England fans some real hope come summertime, but he will be on pace to pass the 30 goal target set by his manager. With 20 goals in 23 games, Rooney is currently on track to net 33 goals in the league this year. Should he achieve it, it would be the highest Premier League tally since 1995, leaving him just a goal shy of the all-time Premier League league record of 34 goals set by Andrew Cole in the 93/94 season and matched by Alan Shearer the next year.

Manchester United have won the Premier League in each of the three seasons when one of their players topped the scoring chart.