COMMENT: Manchester United star Wayne Rooney was back amongst the goals in Wednesday night's Champions League rout of Club Brugge, prompting many a football commentator to utter that time honoured cliché, "form is temporary, class is permanent".
Rooney netted a hat-trick to emerge from his goal drought in spectacular fashion, as United advanced to the Champions League group stages with a 4-0 win, triumphing 7-1 on aggregate over their Belgian opponents.
Having gone 878 minutes without a goal since he scored in a 3-1 Premier League victory over Aston Villa in April, the England and United captain was beginning to become the subject of some intense scrutiny from all corners.
The 14 goals in all competitions that Rooney scored last season was his lowest tally in 12 seasons with the Red Devils, and several dismal displays to begin the league this season prompted suggestions United's main man was on the decline.
It's been 11 years since a teenaged Rooney ran riot against an experienced Fenerbahce side, scoring a hat-trick in the Champions League on his Manchester United debut. Wednesday night's treble was his first in European football since that famous night in Manchester, a surprising statistic when you consider Rooney's quality and the amount of football United has played in Europe's top club competition since then.
The Rooney on Wednesday night looked akin to the 'Wazza' of old, and was another occasion where the 29-year-old managed to prove his critics wrong. In 2010, under Ferguson, Rooney went almost 12 full matches of competitive football without scoring, before eventually leading United to the league title and a Champions League Final against Barcelona (where he scored).
The performance in Brugge also suggests the former Everton man still has plenty left in his locker ahead of an intriguing season at Old Trafford. Having spent two transfer windows bringing in proven quality, Louis van Gaal now has arguably the strongest squad in the Premier League.
The additions of midfielders Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneiderlin, as well as full-back Matteo Darmian, suggest United won't be the defensive basket case they were at times last season. Whether it be Sergio Romero or David De Gea, United have a quality goalkeeper.
All that's left after that is whether Rooney and van Gaal's galaxy of playmakers can mesh to regularly hit the back of the net. Rooney is central to this taking place, with his physicality and clever touches crucial to bringing the likes of Memphis Depay, Ander Herrera, Adnan Januzaj and Juan Mata into the game.
This isn't to limit his role simply to playing second fiddle; as the centre-forward, Rooney's goals will be vital as well. In fact, United would probably need around 20 goals in the league from their captain if they are to seriously compete this time around.
Given van Gaal was willing to let Robin van Persie leave for Turkey and allowed Radamel Falcao to lave for Chelsea from his underwhelming season-long loan, it appears the Dutchman has plenty of faith in Rooney to produce.
Van Persie's departure has left somewhat of a hole in United's forward stocks. After Rooney there is the goal poacher Javier Hernandez, and young talent James Wilson, with Memphis expected to play out wide.
Hernandez is far from the complete striker a league title winner builds their team around, and Wilson is as yet largely unproven. If van Gaal doesn't sign another striker before the window shuts, then Rooney's form becomes absolutely vital if United are to sustain a serious assault on the league title.
On Wednesday night's basis, that wouldn't appear to be a problem.
