Sir Alex Ferguson blames bad advice for Wayne Rooney exit saga
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has rejected claims that Wayne Rooney expressed his desire to leave the club only to land a lucrative contract at Old Trafford.
On 19 October, Ferguson disclosed to the press that Rooney had been wishing to leave the club since the start of the Premier League season.
In a spectacular turn of events, the striker signed a five-year deal with United only three days after his desire to leave was revealed by Ferguson.
Speaking at a press conference in Qatar, the United boss confirmed that Rooney is close to recovering from his ankle injury after spending a week rehabilitating in the United States, adding that his striker
received bad advice from his own agent at the start of the season.
"You don't necessarily have to heed advice after listening to it," the manager said. "Some young people take bad advice. He has an agent [Paul Stretford] who is not the most popular man in the world and
he obviously sold it to Wayne to ask away. The boy rushed in. But the minute he heard the response of the public and our supporters he changed his mind — he knew he'd made a mistake."
The Scot added that he didn't blame Rooney for his actions after reversing his position and committing his future to the club.
"There's nothing wrong with that as long as you recognise it. He immediately apologised and agreed a new contract within a couple of hours. It wasn't done to get the contract; I don't think that for a
minute. But maybe he should have listened to better advice."
Players more sheltered today
Ferguson also shared his thoughts on modern football culture, explaining that he has had to adjust his coaching method to accommodate the extreme attention that is warranted many of his players.
"I've mellowed a great deal. The world has changed and so have players' attitudes. I'm dealing with more fragile human beings than I used to be. They are cocooned by modern parents, agents, even their
own image at times."
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