An unhappy-looking Rooney was hauled off 19 minutes from the end of Manchester United's 2-2 draw at Upton Park on Wednesday with his team trailing 2-1.
This comes on the back of his omission from the side against Real Madrid at home last month and increased interest from Paris Saint-Germain.
Yet last month Alex Ferguson deemed him surplus to requirements when United lined up for their biggest game of the season — the Champions League last-16 second-leg tie against Real Madrid.
"He is still England's main hope yet he wasn't good enough for Manchester United on their biggest night of the season for what were described as 'tactical reasons'."
Shearer, Newcastle's and the Premier League's all-time leading scorer, also wonders whether Rooney would have been cut the same slack had he gone on a barren run similar to the one Van Persie suffered recently.
He said: "I have to ask myself if he had not scored for 10 games, like Robin van Persie recently, whether the manager would have persevered with him."
Rooney has scored 16 goals for United this season yet against Stoke he was moved back into a defensive-midfield role alongside Michael Carrick.
"Right now, that is being tested, too. He has gone from the main frontman, to the supporting role in behind Van Persie, to out wide and a deep-lying midfield role.
"He is 27 and these should be the best years of his career coming up but he is not at the level we all expected he would be.
He said: "I am sure Manchester United would not want to move him to another Premier League club so the only option then would be abroad — and PSG are one of the few clubs who could afford him."
-ALAN SHEARER was supporting Match Attax, the official Barclays Premier League trading card game, by hosting an exclusive training session for children at St George's Park, Burton-on-Trent.
Via: [Live -] Online - TV] ND Mura 05 - ND Gorica - Slovenia Prva liga telekom
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