Rooney indicated his destination would have been foreign which could only suggest Barcelona or Madrid. At both clubs he could expect to be second fiddle at best and would have to adapt to a foreign culture and playing style, which in the past he has dismissed as unfeasible. Arsenal could not afford him and that would only leave Chelsea. We can safely assume he would never consider a move to Italy or Germany.
The pensioners would welcome him with open arms and the move would not generate the hostility of others. However the London club can offer him no real improvement on United, particularly with their proclivity to fire managers at will and lack of commitment to any rigid structure.
Rooney has left himself in a quandary ever since he effectively held United to ransom. The recall of Paul Scholes suggests he was right to question the quality of the squad and the potential spending power of his club, but to do so in public has led people to believe he is nothing more than a mercenary. Claims that are bolstered by his departure from his boyhood Everton (in which United were happy to exploit his greed and hunger for trophies). Rooney may or may not yearn for a new challenge away from United but in truth he has left himself nowhere else to go.
There was a time when Rooney was seen as the epitome of the footballer who placed the love of the game above anything else. His enthusiasm led many to admiringly exclaim he would play for 10 pound a week if necessary. The myth of this argument has now been stripped bare, but the events of the last 18 months have indicated Rooney is a more complicated character than his rough exterior suggests.
United represent the best course for his career and he would to well to heed the words of his manager and simply concentrate on his football. Putting in an abject display in training on the account of being overly inebriated is not the end of the world, but it is only natural such incidents will cause people to speculate on the relationship between manager and player.
Is Rooney waiting for the right opportunity to leave United? Has his relationship with Fergie irrevocably broken down? Does he really love United as much as he wants us to believe? These questions will hang over him for a while yet, but for now at least he must accept the grass really isn’t greener on the other side.
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