Wayne Rooney issues statement confirming he intends to leave Manchester United
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has issued a statement confirming his desire to leave the English Premier League club.
The 24-year-old said that he had held talks with chief executive David Gill after which he felt as though United were not going to meet his ambitions after he was not given assurances over the club's ability
to bring in world-class players.
Afterwards, he declared that he will not sign the contract extension which was offered to him after talks were held over the summer. His current deal will run out in the summer of 2012.
On Tuesday, 19 October, the club’s manager Sir Alex Ferguson held a press conference in which he stated Rooney has expressed a wish to leave United, with whom he has won three EPL titles and the UEFA Champions
League since joining in 2004.
In his statement, released on Wednesday, Rooney said that: “I met with David Gill last week and he did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad. I then told him that I would
not be signing a new contract.
'Lucky to play a part in United's success'
"I was interested to hear what Sir Alex had to say yesterday and surprised by some of it. It is absolutely true, as he said, that my agent and I have had a number of meetings with the club about a new
contract. During those meetings in August I asked for assurances about the continued ability of the club to attract the top players in the world. I have never had anything but complete respect for MUFC. How could I not have done given its fantastic history
and especially the last six years in which I have been lucky to play a part?
"For me it’s all about winning trophies — as the club has always done under [manager] Sir Alex [Ferguson]. Because of that I think the questions I was asking were justified.
Despite his ‘surprise’ at some of Ferguson’s comments, Rooney revealed that he owes a great deal of gratitude to his manager. He said that: "Despite recent difficulties, I know I will always owe Sir Alex
Ferguson a huge debt. He is a great manager and mentor who has helped and supported me from the day he signed me from Everton when I was only 18. For Manchester United's sake I wish he could go on forever because he's a one off and a genius."
Rooney has been the subject of intense media attention over the last few months, with a poor showing at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa — as well as a subsequent downturn in form — and allegations
over his private life ensuring he was making headlines on both the front and back pages of newspapers.
Tags: