You’ve got to feel sorry for Wayne Rooney at the moment.

The 31-year-old is both Manchester United and England’s all time top goal scorers, yet is being pummeled with criticism on almost a weekly basis. His terrible 2016-17 campaign has certainly chaffed away at his reputation.

As a result, it seems almost certain that the forward will kiss goodbye to Old Trafford this summer. This week’s Europa League victory could serve as a positive ending and a symbolic changing of the guard under Jose Mourinho.

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After all, for all the game time he was initially given by the Special One, Rooney simply failed to deliver. The captain has scored just eight times in 39 appearances and is only partially saved by an equal amount of assists.

Ultimately though, he has been reduced to the bench for large spells and openly hammered for a series of poor performances. Moreover, he even suffered the ignominy of missing out on the England squad this week, despite being skipper.

So, what’s next for Rooney? The most frequently mentioned destinations prove the USA, China or maybe even a return to Everton.

That being said, The Sun anticipates that the Toffees will turn down the forward and any cross-continental move could be thwarted by a desire to stay in England. It paints a rather bleak picture for the 31-year-old.

Well, that might not be entirely true as Stoke City could be poised to come to his aid. And yes, you did read that correctly.

According to the Mirror, the Potters are plotting a bid to try and rescue Rooney from his nightmare at United. Mark Hughes’ men would turn to their sponsors – Bet365 – as means of financing the deal.

Besides, the reported deal could come in at a hearty £45 million. Considering Rooney’s indifferent form this season, it can only be imagined that the Red Devils would jump at such a bid and garner a tasty £20 million profit.

Bet365 certainly have the resources to back the move and with 20 million customers internationally, stand as one of the biggest bookmakers in the world.

Money certainly isn’t the issue; persuading Rooney to buy into the project certainly is though. After all, he was keen to reiterate after Wednesday’s Europa League victory that he would only ever play in the Premier League for United or Everton.

Furthermore, Rooney’s current contract comes in at £300,000-a-week and it is questionable as to whether Bet365 will be enthusiastic about footing the wage bill as well.

So, it’s fair to say the move looks unlikely but Stoke giving it their best shot might prove surprisingly plausible. Nevertheless, if we can learn anything from this, it’s that Rooney’s career has taken quite the downward turn.

No offence to Stoke; going from Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Phil Bardsley isn’t exactly desirable.

Where do you think Wayne Rooney should go this summer? Have YOUR say in the comment box below