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Rio Ferdinand: This decision by Man Utd boss Louis van Gaal was genius
RIO FERDINAND believes Louis van Gaal's decision to drop Wayne Rooney against Stoke could turn out to be a managerial masterstroke.
Wayne Rooney produced an improved display against Chelsea
The Manchester United captain was surprisingly named on the bench for the Boxing Day defeat but was restored to the starting line-up against Chelsea on Monday.
Despite missing a golden opportunity to score in the second half, the 30-year-old performed better and was handed the man-of-the-match award.
"And if you have anything about you, you make a vow that the manager can never again have a reason to leave you out of the team.
"Wayne will have been hurt and desperate to prove a point.
"He didn’t score and was lucky not to be sent off for a nasty tackle on Oscar. But other than that, his all-round game was superb."