Thousands of fans in Manchester and elsewhere are euphoric these days over events in Wayne Rooney’s life.

First, he has returned to form as one of the finest players in the Premiership in England, perhaps even in European football. Three goals against Bolton and two spectacular volleys at Bramall Lane versus Sheffield United will have convinced the most ardent skeptic that the young man has passed through the bad patch of recent months.

Second, he has signed a new contract (at almost $195,000 per week, Rooney will earn more than $10 million a year) that will keep him at Manchester United until 2012. The two-year extension will keep his partnership with Cristiano Ronaldo up front for the Red Devils for at least another two years, despite all the pessimism in the press after the World Cup and the bizarre sending-off of Rooney in the game against Portugal in the World Cup in Germany.

So why should we worry about Rooney? Good Grief! He has more money than he can spend; he has employment security for at least six years; he is already an international star, playing for what may be the most famous soccer team in the world; and he is a shoo-in for his national team, with the strike-attack built around him. Why, with all that glorious success surrounding Rooney, why should I have this gloomy sense of impending disaster?

It is because there are bad signs in the striker’s life, signs that portend calamities that have ruined the career and life of many a star of British soccer. Consider the following. . . .

• Rooney has already been in frequent altercations on the field when he lost his temper with opponents or the referee, but lately he has been losing it off the field. He punched out a Blackburn player in a restaurant after some provocative remarks, and hassled with a fan after England’s loss to Croatia. It speaks of a problem with self-control and of a dangerous impulsiveness.

• That lack of self-control led him into a serious gambling problem before the World Cup, when he threw away more than a million dollars in a short space of time. He may have money to burn, but so did George Best, who ended up penniless.

• He has occasionally had a weight and fitness problem that has hampered his performances. The latest figures from the Manchester United site have him at five foot ten inches and 176 pounds. Calculate his “Body Mass Index”, a measure of bodily health, and he comes in at a BMI of more than 25, which is classified as overweight. For a 21-year-old professional athlete, that is not a sign that he takes good care of himself. More than once, Gordon Strachan, an astute observer of the game, has described Manchester United’s performance being affected by Rooney’s fitness, particularly his willingness to track back towards the end of a game. Look at a recent photograph and ask if a double-chin is common among world-class players. Paul Gascoigne had one while he was ruining his career and health with alcohol. Is Rooney doing the same?

• For decades, British soccer has had a boozy, “laddish” culture, where players had long drinking sessions after, and even before, matches. The effects are well-known, as great players one-by-one fell foul of booze: George Best, he of the liver-transplant and early death; Alan Hudson, virtually homeless, wandering on the street and almost killed by a car; Paul Gascoigne, who had a short career and has an on-and-off relationship with the bottle and glass. There are many more. Learning of this culture shocked Arsene Wenger when he took over at Arsenal. How could professional athletes take so little care of themselves? He determined to change that attitude at Highbury, and we know the results.

• If I had anything to do with Manchester United, I would get some guidance right away for the young Liverpudlian Wayne Rooney, before his money, his ego, his impulsiveness take over and spoil the fans’ prospect of seeing years of his abilities on the pitch.

It’s good news that Freddy Adu, the 17-year old midfielder/forward for D.C. United in Major League Soccer is going to Europe to train with—of all clubs—Manchester United of the English Premiership. In a week or two, he could well be on the practice field with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes, all World Cup players. He should learn a lot from them.

But before we get too excited about the talented young man getting an opportunity to develop as a player in one of the best and most famous clubs in the world, we should note that he is going for only two weeks, starting November 18. And according to the spokesman for D. C. United, the two weeks are not a trial, but “training”.

When Adu signed with MLS at the age of fourteen, he made it clear that his ambition was to play in Europe. In fact, he had earlier been offered a contract by Inter Milan, but his mother thought him too young to make such a move. But with some interest in his talents coming from Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid, it’s unlikely that MLS will stop him from eventually going overseas.

He can’t sign with anyone yet, because the rules about transferring under-18 players are strict. And because he doesn’t have a big international reputation, he might not be able to get a work permit to play in the United Kingdom. So what then is the purpose of going to Manchester United for two weeks?

First, Freddy will find out what it is like to compete with world-class players. He gets knocked off the ball in MLS, so he will have to toughen up, physically and emotionally. Since he has complained about the amount of playing time he gets in MLS, he may have to absorb a dose of humility and realize that he is not ready to challenge defenders of the caliber of Rio Ferdinand, and midfield players like Paul Scholes.

Second, Manchester United (and their contacts at other clubs) will get a look at him, and be able to assess whether he has the potential that people—the hype, if you like—say he has. Their opinion will cross the Atlantic to MLS, that’s for sure. Young Freddy is going to have a challenging two weeks, and the U.S may gain a more mature and better player when he returns.