Trafford with a big headache for his successor David Moyes as to what to do with skillful English striker Wayne Rooney who, incidentally had requested for a transfer when Ferguson was in charge and turn was turned down.
It is evident with Rooney’s demeanor that his role as a second fiddle striker to Robin van Persie, the £24 million singing from Arsenal, is not well taken by him and he appears desperate to scale back his ambitions with which he joined Manchester United from Everton in 2004 as a rising 18-year-old maverick striker.
After Manchester United’s last home game against Swansea, Sir Alex Ferguson, who bid adieu to Old Trafford with the game, revealed that Wayne Rooney had submitted and asked for a transfer request. Ferguson did not field Rooney in the game against Swansea saying the striker did not appear to be in the right state of mind to play the game.
This further sparked speculations that Wayne Rooney is set to leave the Red devils and find solace someplace else. Before this, Rooney had last submitted a transfer request way back in2010 when he alleged the club could not match his ambitions. But later, he had a change of mind and signed a five-year contract with the great club.
It is ironic that David Moyes, who gave Rooney his professional debut at Everton when he was just 16, has to decide the forward’s future with Manchester United. Rooney and Moyes have had an on-off relation with Moyes suing Rooney over certain defamatory remarks that were published in the biography of the player.
Wayne Rooney had been unpleasant with the attitude shown towards him by the team management, substituting him at crucial junctures, not fielding him till late in the game, and most importantly, playing him as a backup striker for van Persie.
One notable moment out of many was during the Champions League quarterfinal against Real Madrid when the striker was held back as late as the 80th minute, even though United were trailing 2-1. This and many other incidents are said to have turned the Englishman’s sight away from Old Trafford, possibly to Arsenal or Chelsea.
Even at the last home match of the season against Swansea, the last game for the manager, Rooney was not given a chance to play in the electric environment created as he was “not keen to play”. However, the input from newly appointed manager David Moyes will be the most important factor in determining Rooney’s future at the club.
And as far as sources are concerned, Moyes is in no mood to let Rooney leave Manchester United. He believes Rooney to be an integral part of the team and in all probability will not let him yonder away from the club.
Even Rooney, by the end of the season, might change his mind given the fact that he built his entire illustrious career at the club and decide to show loyalty to it. All this is mere speculation and with even Bayern Munich willing to pay £30 million for the striker it is bound to be a heated transfer season.
