One-man team? You’re talking rubbish!

It took the resident Manchester United fan in the office a whole nano-second to bite.

But the proof of how much Wayne Rooney has carried his club this season will be evident this lunchtime when Chelsea check in for the title decider at Old Trafford.

What about last Saturday, my Manc mate suggested? United won 4-0 sans Rooney.

Yes, and mighty Bolton were really put to the sword… Now United face their biggest week of the season – Chelsea and the Bayern Munich return tie – without their talisman; a player jostling with Lionel Messi as the finest on the planet.

Rooney’s absence for up to a month is no bad thing for England. He won’t agree but it gives him a much-needed breather ahead of the World Cup. But for United it is potentially season-defining.

Fergie is hardly down to the bare bones. And it’s about time that Dimitar Berbatov came to the party.

But take Rooney out of the mix and this United side is not a patch on those who have dominated our game in recent years.

That won’t change even if they ride the storm to claim another Premier League crown. But the rest of the squad can then justify their winners’ medals by maintaining the momentum without their main man.