Paper Round: Wayne Rooney told he can carry on at Manchester United - with one proviso

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has said that club captain Wayne Rooney can stay at United for many more years but it will mean a reduced role on the pitch. Rooney, 31, drew level with Sir Bobby Charlton with 249 United goals on Saturday but speculation persists over his future. Speaking after the 4-0 win over Reading, Mourinho said that Rooney continuing at United will depend on his desire.

Paper Round's view: The furore around Rooney is really rather tiresome, particularly when it seems that now he and Mourinho have come to an understanding over his role in the team. Rooney will be used as a squad player, not a first team regular, but it's clear that both have recognised that he still has a lot to offer in this role. United have always been a club that looked after their elder players, this shouldn't change with Rooney.

Rooney is expected to score the one goal required to move to 250 and one ahead of Charlton but Mourinho is backing teenager Marcus Rashford to beat both of them. Mourinho conceded that it would be tough for Rashford but that if anyone could do it then it is him. Rashford, who has scored 14 goals for United, was also backed to reach the very top by team-mate Chris Smalling.

Paper Round's view: At the same age, Rooney was on just a few more goals than Rashford so technically it is possible. However, Rooney's record in the years following was astonishing. Twice he hit 34 goals, getting at least 15 in every season at United between 2004 and 2014. Rashford has to find these levels of consistency and he needs to start playing on a regular basis.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has revealed how tough times were for striker Danny Welbeck during his recovery from injury. Welbeck returned to the team against Preston in the FA Cup and speaking after the game Wenger explained to journalists how desperate Welbeck was. He also revealed that sometimes they encouraged Welbeck to stay away from the club so he didn't have to watch all his team-mates training.

Paper Round's view: Welbeck has had horrid luck when it comes to injury and there can't have been anyone who wasn't happy to see him return to the field on Saturday. Welbeck is a supremely talented footballer and he could be the type of player to make a real difference to Arsenal this season if he stays fit and plays a number of games.

FA Chairman Gregg Clarke has told The Times in an exclusive interview that he has spoken to a number of gay sportspeople, including footballers, about how to manage players coming as gay in the Premier League or Football League. Whilst former Premier League player Thomas Hitzlsperger came out following his retirement, there are no openly gay footballers in professional men's English football. Clarke spoke of how he has spoken to players about how they would manage coming out and whether it could be organised that a number of players came out at once to make it easier.

He also spoke about how he thinks that Gareth Southgate's successor as England manager could be drawn from the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community.

Paper Round's view: In 2017 it is absolutely appalling that gay players still do not feel comfortable coming out and that we still can't say with certainty that they would be treated equally. The sad truth of the matter is that there are still some people within football who would react negatively, which is in itself shameful. However, as Clarke points out in his interview we cannot force any player to come out as gay. They must decide to do so on their own accord when they feel comfortable. His comments on the next England manager are encouraging and it's good to see Brighton manager Chris Hughton getting some much deserved recognition in the piece.