Premier League Truths: Out-of-shape Rooney has thrown in the towel; no Ibra no problem for United

Sunday afternoon featured an appearance of the lesser-spotted Wayne Rooney in a Manchester United shirt… and it soon became apparent why the 31-year-old has rarely featured of late. He’s out of shape.

Rooney has always found it tough to stay in peak physical condition. He has the sort of body that requires more work than most to remain at its most potent.

But it’s also fair to say that his lifestyle and attitude have not maximised his chances of maintaining a professionally optimum physique. And the appearance of an extremely heavy-set Rooney against Burnley underlined the sense that the Manchester United captain has thrown in the towel.

There was a time when Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo were considered equals. But contrast how the two players’ physiques have developed over the last decade and it isn’t hard to work out why their two careers have not followed the same trajectory.

The news of Zlatan Ibrahimovic's injury made for grim reading for Manchester United fans but some optimistic supporters pointed that at least it would mean more game time for Marcus Rashford. Some of the more cautious members of the fanbase warned that too much football could result in the youngster tiring or faltering, and manager Jose Mourinho seemed to take that view.

He elected to start Anthony Martial and captain Wayne Rooney against Burnley and the pair both got on the score-sheet. Martial in particular looked bright and he gave a timely reminder that he can be very useful in the forward positions, whether on the left or through the middle.

The Frenchman has found himself on the wrong end of Mourinho on a few occasions this season but he's slowly starting to earn his manager's trust again and he will be critical between now and the end of the season.

When Liverpool went away to West Brom last weekend and secured the win, shutting out Tony Pulis' side in the process, all the talk was about how they had turned a corner when it came to set-pieces.

This has been an Achilles heel for Liverpool for so long and on Sunday against Crystal Palace the demons came out and Jurgen Klopp's side reverted to type. Palace under Sam Allardyce are probably the second toughest prospect from set-pieces in the league behind Pulis' West Brom and it was only fitting that it was former Red Christian Benteke who did the damage.

This is a systematic issue for Liverpool and Klopp has to address it in the summer. Whether that's changing how they set-up, or bringing in a vocal leader in defence or in goal, something has to give.