There can be no doubt that Rooney has played second fiddle to a certain Dutch new boy in Manchester this season. Robin Van Persie has become an instant hero for the Red Devils leaving Wayne in the shadows at Old Trafford.
Although this is not the first time the 27-year-old has made noises about leaving Manchester United, Rooney’s request to be left out of Fergie’s last home game is a the biggest clue to date that Rooney will be on his way in the summer. But where to? Here’s a run down of some of the leading contenders.
Domestically, two clubs have hit the headlines recently for their pursuit of Rooney, Arsenal and Newcastle. In fairness, it seems that Newcastle’s interest has been magnified after a story was published on a website linked to club owner Mike Ashley. The story came as a shock to the world of football when it broke and has quite rightly been quashed.
Arsenal’s interest on the other hand has a far greater chance of being the real deal. Wenger has refused to deny any attempt to sign the player, and the club has outlined plans to increase spending on player’s wages. However, Arsenals current highest earners receive no more than £100,000 a week and that would potentially need to be doubled to entice Roo.
Overseas gossip in recent days has suggested two possible clubs vying for Rooney’s signature. Newly crowned Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germaine have been heavily linked with Wayne, with Boss Carlo Ancelotti expressing his admiration for the Englishman. However, despite French commentators suggesting the deal had been done, Carlo believes that Man U simply wont let go of the star striker.
Champions League finalists Bayern Munich have also been linked with Rooney but in recent days the Bayern sporting director Matthias Sammer has denied any link, saying that he is not sure what Rooney would bring to the Bundesliga.
Despite the hotbed of transfer speculation surrounding one of the best footballers our country has produced, it looks increasingly like Rooney might be staying put. It has been claimed that part of Wayne’s problem was his increasingly fractured relationship between him and Sir Alex has been a large part of the problem. With the prospect of re-joining old boss David Moyes next season, Rooney might be inclined to stay put.
However one thing is for sure, Wayne Rooney is a striker at heart and the deeper he plays at Man U the more unsettled he will potentially be. If Van Persie continues to play as well as he has done in the last couple of seasons, it can only be a matter of time before Rooney gets tired of being second best.
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