With rumors swirling that Wayne Rooney is fed up with his standing at Manchester United, the club are pulling out all the stops in a desperate attempt to change their England international’s mind.
Their next strategy involves last season’s Golden Boot winner Robin van Persie having a go to lift Rooney’s ego a bit, declaring he signed on with Manchester United in part to link up with Roo.
“Everyone wants Wayne to stay and deep down I think he feels the same” said the Dutchman. “One of the reasons I joined Manchester United was to play with Wayne. I hope he stays. Not only is he a great goalscorer, he does so much work across the pitch.
“He hates to lose - that’s why you see him one minute pressing for goal, the next minute defending ferociously. He is an asset to any team. He will come good again. He is a strong lad.”
Sound advice to van Persie: don’t quit your day job. As much as his attempt to put himself second-string to Rooney is valiant, van Persie is no psychologist, and all reports seem to indicate that Rooney may not actually want to stay “deep down.”
With two official bids by Chelsea turned down, this one could go down to the Deadline Day wire. David Moyes and the rest of the squad are doing their best to show Rooney he’s wanted, but it may be too late and the manager would do well to continue his search for a potential replacement.