Door for Wayne Rooney still open - Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Alex Ferguson surprised the football fraternity when he confirmed the rumors that Wayne Rooney wants to leave the club. This came as a shock for all Manchester United’s fans. To put further misery on the die-hard Red Devils, United’s rival Manchester
City is planning to bid for Ferguson’s prized possession along with Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelloti’s Chelsea. Ferguson's revelation came after Rooney refused to sign a new contract with Old Trafford outfit.
News relating to England star’s discontent with Ferguson were already circulating for quite a while now. But, Ferguson decided to break the speculations when he announced that Rooney’s agent had told Manchester United that he was not interested in signing
new deal. Talking about Rooney, Manchester United’s Scottish manager said, “David Gill had a preliminary talk with his agent at the end of last season, which was to be continued after the World Cup. [Gill] says, 'I've got some bad news for you'. His agent
had intimated he wouldn't sign a contract and he wanted away. It was a shock. We couldn't believe it.”
Ferguson added that he was terribly disappointed on the way the news of rift between him and Rooney was made public. According to Premiership's most successful manager, United gave Rooney the platform on which he became one of Europe’s finest players. However,
he was disappointed from the fact that as a result of this fiasco, the image of the club was seriously tarnished. He stated, “The one thing I said to him was, 'Respect this club - I don't want any nonsense from you'. I don't know if he has done that. I have
doubts on that; we are reading all these things about falling out with me. What we're seeing now in the media is disappointing because we've done everything we can for Wayne Rooney.”
According to Ferguson, Manchester United has a rich tradition of fostering and grooming players and this goes back to the days of Sir Matt [Busby]. And Rooney was one of those players who largely benefited from this culture. The rift between Fergie and Rooney
surfaced when Rooney dismissed the reports of his alleged ankle injury in the media. According to Ferguson, Rooney picked an ankle injury during Rangers' game which forced him to give him rest for the Sunderland match.
“I spoke to him before the Sunderland game and our planning, based on the fact he wasn't playing that well, was to leave him out of the Sunderland game, make sure his ankle was properly prepared for the next game. Ten-day rest, ten-day recovery, so he could
play for England (against Montenegro),” said Ferguson. Rooney was clearly seen hobbling during the Rangers game which clearly substantiates Ferguson’s claim regarding his injury.
Ferguson showed bemusement on Rooney’s decision to leave the most successful club in British football. Manchester United has won 40 major trophies and has featured into countless cup finals. Additionally, Old Trafford exhibits a state of art stadium and
a great training arrangement for players. Ferguson maintained, “I was disappointed because we know fine and well he was carrying an injury. We sent him for a scan on the ankle injury - nothing serious, but it needed treatment and he's had treatment. We've
got to a stage now where ... I feel that we still have to keep the door open for him, simply because he's such a good player.”
Nonetheless, Ferguson is optimistic that the next phase will pass amicably between the two parties. He believes that United’s management will entertain Rooney’s request in best possible manner. Ferguson was of the view that it was part of their job to look
after their players and to create a tremendous loyalty. According to Ferguson, this attribute is the cornerstone of Manchester United’s culture.
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