Manchester United chiefs hold talks over Wayne Rooney
Key figures at Manchester United are holding talks over the future of Wayne Rooney at the club.
The Red Devils’ manager Sir Alex Ferguson was rocked by the news that the 24-year-old wished to leave the club. Rooney confirmed that he would not be signing an extension to the contract that is set to run out in 2012, as he felt United was not able to match
his ambitions.
That means that United will have to consider offers for the England international in the January and summer transfer windows.
As a result, Ferguson was meeting with chief executive David Gill to determine the club’s next move.
Ferguson is keen to downplay speculation over Rooney’s future, telling reporters, "...what is really important is for us to put it to bed, we don't want it to become a saga."
United are mired in debt, and will struggle to find the funds to strengthen a squad which will soon lose Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville and Edwin van der Sar due to retirement. A fortnight ago, the club announced a pre-tax loss of £79.6m for the
year to 30 June, compared to a £48m profit in the previous 12-month period.
Despite Rooney demanding to leave, Ferguson has claimed that the club will remain in good shape going forward.
"We will be OK. I have every confidence. The structure of the club is good. We have the right staff, the right manager, a brilliant chief executive. There is not a thing wrong with Manchester United. To maintain the success at any club is not a certainty."
"I always believe a four-year cycle is the most you can achieve. Very few teams can go beyond that. We realised some time ago that Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville were not going to last forever. Therefore, our policy is to develop footballers in
their place."
Tags: