Back in the 90’s, oh the Worthless Cup, as us arrogant United fans used to call it. It was a competition for us to play our kids, give them a bit of experience, but nothing more than that. We’d won it in 1992 but that was before our proper trophy haul had begun. It’s not something we were interested in now.
Then after winning the title in 2003 we started to look pretty naff and didn’t get our hands on any silverware in 2005. The following season rolled about and we needed something, anything, to show we weren’t in decline. Suddenly the League Cup wasn’t so worthless anymore.
Neville lifted the cup in 2006, his first as captain, and our players celebrated happily. It gave this new team a taste for success. The following season we won the league, the season after we won the league and European Cup, and you might say it was the confidence and feeling of winning the League Cup which helped set our more recent success in motion.
For Wayne Rooney, it was the first trophy he lifted with United, and back then we could only hope for it to be the first of many.
“I still remember going to the old Wembley as a kid to watch Everton beat United in the FA Cup final,” said Rooney. “It was an amazing occasion and something that has always stuck in my mind. To play in a major final is still a dream come true for me. The Carling Cup was the first trophy I won with United, in Cardiff, and something I want to win again badly. The fact it is at such an amazing place like Wembley now obviously makes it more special. Hopefully, having not started against Inter, I will play on Sunday. I didn’t think I was going to start against Inter because I’d only played one 90 minutes since I’ve been injured. ”
Will Rooney start?
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