Wayne Rooney’s Problems at Manchester United
There is much speculation concerning Wayne Rooney’s future at Manchester United, especially after an abysmal start to the new season. Now, it has been claimed that Rooney might be leaving Manchester United, after using a
special clause in FIFA’s transfer rules.
According to the Webster ruling, article 17 of FIFA transfer rules, Rooney can use the option of leaving Manchester United according to his own wishes. Article 17 suggests that a player can buy himself out of the club, if
he is less than 28 years old and has spent at least three years on his contract. In order to do so, a player would have to pay his whole final year’s salary and a small compensation as well. This clause will put Rooney’s worth around £5 million, which is meager
for a player of his caliber.
The clause was first used by Andy Webster in 2006, and he got a transfer from Hearts to Wigan as a result. After this transfer, the rule was used only twice more, by Tony Sylva and Jonas Gutierrez. Therefore, the precedent
is there, and under current circumstances at Manchester United, Rooney could be thinking about using this option.
A Spanish law firm has confirmed that Rooney can avail such an option, as all other conditions are being properly met. This firm can speak as an authority on the case, because it has been involved in all major cases regarding
Article 17.
Currently, Rooney is serving in Manchester United under a contract signed in November 2006. After signing, Rooney agreed to stay at the club for a little longer, till 2012. This means that Rooney is ready to file a release
notice against Manchester United. The notice can be filed at any time, and is acted upon within 15 days.
Manchester United has failed to inspire so far in the season, while Wayne Rooney has also not been impressive enough. For undisclosed reasons, Rooney is also reportedly being subjected to rough treatment at the hands of his
manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. Despite playing his matches for England, he has not been able to make it into United’s starting line-up. Due to this lack of football, Rooney’s future with the English national team is also at stake. Ferguson is reputedly a hard
man to please, which means that Rooney may be thinking about other possibilities right now.
This bad run for Rooney has been continuing ever since the end of last season, when the energetic young striker received a long-term injury, as a result of which he failed to inspire during the World Cup as well. However,
as the new season started, Rooney started to show signs of improvement. During his first international break, Rooney made three assists in one match, while he appeared on the score-sheet in the second.
Despite this development, Ferguson dropped him from a match against Everton. At that time, news regarding Rooney’s private life was circulating the media, and Ferguson appeared to be thinking about protecting his player.
However, many believed that it was a punishment being inflicted upon the striker, a speculation that seemed more and more to be true as relations between both individuals went further downhill. Since this incident, Rooney has not had any real chance to prove
himself for his team.
Ferguson would certainly be facing a dilemma, with his established striker leaving the club. However, the real problem would be that the worth associated with Rooney as a result of the Webster ruling would be far less than
that normally expected. Therefore, there is a very high probability that United will be trying to sell Rooney in the January transfer window. This could mean that the second half of United’s season will be poorer than the first one.
Tags: