New Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will not deploy Wayne Rooney in midfield.
The Englishman was deployed in a central midfield role by Louis van Gaal last season and Roy Hodgson opted for the same approach during this summer's Euro 2016 Championship.
But the Portuguese believes that the 30-year-old has a natural instinct to score goals and will start the season leading the offensive department.
"In football there are many jobs on the field," Mourinho told the club's official website.
"The one that is more difficult to find is the one that puts the ball in the net. Players change during the years of course, their qualities change, so it is normal that a player at his [Wayne's] age changes a little bit.
"However, something that will never change is the natural appetite to put the ball in the net. Maybe he is not a striker anymore, but he will never be a no.6 for me, he will never be someone playing 60 metres from the goal.
"You can tell me his passes are amazing - yes, they are amazing, but my passes are also amazing without pressure.
"There are many players with a great pass, but there aren't as many players who can put the ball in the net. For me he will be a [number] 9, a 10, or a 9-and-a-half, but not a 6 or even an 8."
