Hamstring injuries against Bolton in January and Arsenal in February have led to a frustrating 2013 for Rose, but he played the full 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw versus Norwich earlier this month. Against United he lined up at left back in a 4-4-1-1, next to captain John O'Shea, with James McClean ahead of him on the left flank. United lined up in a similar formation: Antonio Valencia started on the right, with Rafael operating behind him. Valencia has been poor all season, as he himself has admitted, but with Rafael's threat and Shinji Kagawa's tendency to drift inside it would be a decent test for someone playing their first full season in a new position.
Defensively, Rose had a very solid game. Valencia's slump continues for at least another game, while Rafael's substitution after half an hour, moving the less threatening Smalling to right back, meant that United targeted Sunderland's right flank instead. Rose pressed Valencia quite aggressively, leading to a number of interceptions.
Positionally Rose was also good, covering a ball over the top on the opposite flank to clear in the first half, before deftly flicking away a cross into the box ahead of Valencia in the second half.
Rose also won a couple of aerial duels against the taller Valencia, while matching him for pace throughout the game. There were a few small defensive errors however, such as getting his body between Valencia and the ball yet still losing possession, but overall Rose had a good game defending.
Offensively however, he was poor. It seems strange that a winger-cum-defender had a good defensive game and a poor offensive one, but a lot of that can be explained by the negative tactics employed by O'Neill. Until United went a goal ahead, Rose wasn't involved in any meaningful attacking move, barely crossing the halfway line. Adam Johnson had now been switched to the left for the rest of the first half, but as he did with McClean, Rose failed to have much interplay with the man ahead of him. Rose's attacking game seemed to be based on dribbling from a deep position, rather than overlapping the winger. Only one dribble was successful, leading to an overhit cross.
The problem for a lot of attacking looking duos on one flank is that they are often too similar in styles. Both McClean and Johnson like to hug the wings, giving an inexperienced full back and former winger a problem in how to contribute when attacking. Rose's only overlapping run in the game even went infield. Hence Rose did what he knows best: dribbling, but doing so from deep with nobody behind you is asking for trouble. Of course, United were superb defensively too. Valencia is going through a poor patch of form but he still protects his flank well, while Carrick positioned himself well on the right flank at times. When Rose was faced with this red defensive wall ahead of him, he did manage to spread the play extremely well with a couple of crossfield passes.
In January, André Villas-Boas said that the chances of Rose being sold were 'completely impossible'. As mentioned, Rose has said that he wants first team football and as he turns twenty-three in the summer it's understandable. Even in 2011 he was talking about playing youth football against the likes of Mesut Özil and Sami Khedira; seeing how their careers have blossomed since he can't be blamed for wanting to really begin his own.
So if he were to return to Tottenham, how would he fit in? With Bale now moved into a central position, the problem of having a touchline hugging winger ahead of him wouldn't exist, assuming that Clint Dempsey and Gylfi Sigurðsson continue to vie for position ahead of him. Rose certainly seems to have improved defensively from his last showing in a Spurs shirt, but there were still moments of indecision against United. That's understandable for a player playing his first season as a defender, but given his rawness and desire for first team football it's unlikely that he'll be at White Hart Lane next season.
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