Wayne Rooney may need to reconsider his strategy for facing Middlesbrough due to the upcoming return of a key Birmingham City player. As he prepares for his debut as Birmingham City’s manager against Middlesbrough, Rooney is confronted with a challenging decision.
The Blues are set to play Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium in the Championship on Saturday, October 21, marking the beginning of the Rooney era. This match will also see him pitted against his former Manchester United teammate, Michael Carrick. In addition to the existing injury concerns, including players like Keshi Anderson, Tyler Roberts, and Lee Buchanan, Rooney now faces a selection dilemma.
One of Birmingham’s standout players, Juninho Bacuna, recently represented Curacao during the international break. The 26-year-old midfielder had a mixed performance, losing to Panama 2-1 but winning 5-3 against Trinidad & Tobago. He played a total of 173 minutes in these matches, providing an assist in the first game and converting a penalty against Trinidad.
While Bacuna’s commitment to his national team is commendable, it might impact his availability for the upcoming weekend match. The match against Trinidad started at 1:00 am UK time, meaning it likely ended around 3:30 am on early Wednesday morning.
Bacuna now faces a substantial 7400-mile journey back to Birmingham, and the logistics of this trip remain uncertain. Such long-distance travel is far from ideal preparation for this weekend’s clash.
Many teams opt to travel to the match location a day in advance to facilitate their preparations. Second-tier teams usually depart around midday, arriving at a hotel where they can conduct a debrief of the opposition and prepare their players for the game.
If this were the chosen approach, Bacuna might have just one day of training if he returns on Wednesday and trains on Thursday. Alternatively, a training session on Friday in Birmingham or upon arrival in the Middlesbrough area could be considered.
During the previous international break, Bacuna was limited to a 19-minute substitute appearance against Watford, as he had played for Martinique just five days earlier. John Eustace had made that decision at the time, but now Rooney will be the one responsible for making such choices.