The Sunday papers, Goal.com and the usual people reported that Manchester United were ready to let their beleaguered striker, Wayne Rooney go, come the summer. This is the same Rooney who ended up getting his way when he handed in a transfer request earlier this season, only to be rewarded with a lucrative (for lucrative, read: ridiculous) new contract by the suits and bigwigs at Old Trafford. If you believe ‘reports’ (and why the hell wouldn’t you) another rift has opened up between Wayne Rooney and manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Rooney is believed to have struck out at Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad-choices over the last couple of weeks – a fortnight that saw United suffer defeats by both Chelsea and Liverpool. If that’s true I don’t half wonder what Rooney thought when he saw Sir Alex field a starting XI with seven defenders in it against Arsenal. Wayne Rooney’s purported outburst is purported to have put a strain on morale in and around Old Trafford and in turn is purported to be the final straw for Ferguson, who is purportedly ready to move the striker on in the summer.
You get where I’m going with this: all rumour and hearsay and no substance. But boy does it make for good headlines and NewsNow listings.
Rooney has had a poor season, granted – he has scored seven goals in 20 appearances in the Premier League, and has disappointed on the odd occasion, but I can’t see Sir Alex moving Wayne on just yet. Despite their success this season, Manchester United’s squad needs to be built upon, not torn apart. Ferguson has to keep United competitive, and Rooney, for all his faults, is nothing if not competitive. He’s driven, works hard (is he the best tracker-backer in the League?) and on his day is up there with the best players in the world.
And you can’t help but feel that Rooney will turn it on again soon. He’s too good not to.
I question also, whether Ferguson would have fought so hard to keep Rooney only to seek to get rid of him on the next occasion that things went sour. Rooney’s not worth the extortionate pay-packet he picks up every week (nobody is), but given the previous between Wayne and Fergie and his importance to United, I can see him remaining at Old Trafford for the foreseeable future.
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