Protesters gather outside Wayne Rooney’s mansion as talks continue
It was a taste of things to come for Manchester United’s want-away striker Wayne Rooney.
At around 8:30pm BST last night, police were called to the 24-year-old’s £4.5million mansion in Cheshire, to disperse a group of 20 to 30 angry protesters, who’d made their way to Prestbury to make their feelings clear about his intended move from Old Trafford.
With speculation rife that Rooney will cross the divide to fierce rivals Manchester City, the United faithful are still coming to terms with the England international’s decision.
A spokesman for Cheshire Police said: "Cheshire Police can confirm that at 8.30pm, a call was received from a resident in Prestbury regarding 20 to 30 people assembling outside their address.
"Police attended the scene and the group dispersed peacefully. No offences were committed."
Although on this occasion, the balaclava-clad mob were dealt with by the authorities, unless the situation is quickly resolved, this is unlikely to be the last time a similar incident occurs.
Meanwhile, talks between Sir Alex Ferguson, David Gill and Rooney’s advisors will continue today. The Manchester United manager cancelled his pre-match press conference this morning, despite insisting that his full focus is on Sunday’s Premier League clash against Stoke City.
Ferguson made it clear that he wanted to put the Rooney matter “to bed” after the Champions League victory against Bursaspor on Wednesday, but yesterday’s holding statement merely increased speculation.
In the statement on the club’s website, Gill – the United chief executive – called for patience on the issue which has dominated back page headlines in recent days.
"We are aware that there is intense public and media interest on the club at the moment, but there are no developments of note to report," the statement read.
"We can confirm a number of meetings have taken place today, including with the player's representative.
"The outcome of those meetings will become clear in the near future. In the meantime, fans are asked to be patient."
At this stage, a dramatic U-turn from Rooney appears unlikely, but Ferguson will want the matter resolved in time for the club’s next match this weekend – even if that means the unsettled striker is officially placed on the transfer list.
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