Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Wayne Rooney has put in a transfer request to leave Manchester United.
Following United’s 2-1 win against Swansea on Sunday, Ferguson admitted that Rooney has asked to leave the club although the manager still holds out hopes the striker will change his mind.
“I don’t think Wayne was keen to play, simply because he’s asked for a transfer,” the Scot told Sky Sports. “I think he wants to think things through in his own mind. I think that’s a good idea. We’re not going to let him go.”
Ferguson feels Rooney’s desire to leave stems from being left out of the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid and the reduced role he has played in United’s run in since. Rooney has played a full 90 minutes just once (against Stoke City) in United’s last nine matches. “I think he’s maybe a bit frustrated at being taken off once or twice in the past few weeks,” Ferguson said.
If Rooney is, in fact, seriously looking to leave Old Trafford, there are three clubs being mentioned as possible destinations.
Chelsea is one possibility. The Blues could certainly satisfy Rooney’s wage demands as they look to rebuild their squad following this season’s woes. Playing under Jose Mourinho could also have its appeal for Rooney although it’s not certain whether the Portuguese manager is definitely headed to Stamford Bridge or whether he would want the United striker in his squad.
The biggest issue is whether the Blues even need Rooney. Chelsea already employs Fernando Torres and Demba Ba, and is likely to bring Romelu Lukaku into the fold next year. Furthermore, Roman Abramovich is a long time admirer of strikers like Radamel Falcao and Edinson Cavani meaning a splurge for either one isn’t out of the question. Factor in Chelsea’s use of the 4-2-3-1 formation and there simply may not be any space for Wazza at the Bridge.
Munich is another place Rooney could end up with the player himself noting his desire to end up there. With both Champions League finalists hailing from the Bundesliga, it’s a league that’s becoming an increasingly popular destination for Europe’s top players. Plus, the lure of playing for Pep Guardiola can’t be understated.
Questions remain, however, as to how Rooney would fit in at Munich. The Bavarian giants already employ a host of world class attackers including Thomas Mueller, Mario Mandzukic, Franc Ribery, Arjen Robben, Mario Gomez, Toni Kroos, Claudio Pizarro and (this summer) Mario Gotze. Tough to see why the Bundesliga champions would have a need for Rooney.
Paris St. Germain is the third club being linked with Rooney. PSG’s Qatari owners could easily afford Rooney’s wage demands while moving to Paris wouldn’t take Rooney too far away from his English roots. David Beckham has already made the move to PSG while Joey Barton’s move to Marseille has proven that Englishmen can do quite well in Ligue 1. Plus, there’s something very intriguing about Rooney playing alongside Zlatan Ibrahimovic and the kind of fiery partnership they could form. The project at PSG, however, continues to grow and an aging striker may be the last thing they want to add to their roster.
Finally, although they have yet to be linked to Rooney, Manchester City has to be an option as the striker attempted to engineer a move to the Etihad in October 2010. All things considered, however, there’s no better place for Rooney than United. For years he’s carried the club as a striker and this past year he did the dirty work dropping back into midfield when the likes of Paul Scholes, Tom Cleverley and Anderson couldn’t get the job done. United would do well to buy a proper midfielder or two and allow Rooney to play where he’s hungry to play, in the hole behind Robin van Persie.