Rooney Wants to Leave Manchester United

[Dr. James Naismith]

WOW .... I know he's going through some tough times, but I didn't see this coming.

I hope Chelsea go after him. With Drogba as good as gone next summer, signing Rooney would be a nice replacement.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed Tuesday that Wayne Rooney has requested to leave the Premier League club, but said he doesn't understand the reasons behind the England striker's decision.

"We have had a discussion about the whole situation. The player says he is adamant he wants to leave," Ferguson said.

The manager said the 24-year-old Rooney, who will miss United's Champions League match against Bursaspor after injuring his ankle in training Tuesday, called off contract negotiations in August. The England striker's current deal at United runs out in the summer of 2012.

Ferguson said he was "dumbfounded" by Rooney's decision, telling United's television channel, MUTV: "Only months before, he was saying he was at the greatest club in the world and he wanted to stay for life."

"We just don't know what's changed the boy's mind," he added.

Source - Click here

[MangoKid]

That fuckin guy. I hope SAF sells him to Real Madrid where he underperforms.

There's no way they're selling him to Chelsea, Doc. He'd have to leave on a free waiver, but there's no way United will allow that to happen.

[Dr. James Naismith]

Mango, money talks my friend and much like this reporter mentions, Chelsea right now is the best option if he wants to stay in England.

If his mind is made up - and when even Ferguson accepts there is little chance of reconciliation, so should we - the most sensible option would be Chelsea.

They pay big money, they win titles, they would suit his style, and in London he may find the anonymity he must crave after a traumatic year in the spotlight.

The perception is that the capital represents bright lights, big city and, as the song says, will go to my baby's head.

In modern times, this has been pretty much based on the sorry downfall of one player, Paul Gascoigne, who is said to have faltered by choosing to sign for Tottenham Hotspur ahead of Manchester United.

There is one flaw in this theory, which is that Gascoigne was plainly a damaged individual and proved this at any number of locations thereafter, including Rome, Newcastle, Liverpool, Burnley, Kettering and Lanzhou in China, near the Gobi desert.

The problem was the man, not the conurbation. If what Rooney desires is to escape from the glare - although his people have found a funny way of showing it this week - London would be a safer bet than even Madrid, Milan or Barcelona.

Source - Click here

[JoePanini]

He signed a 5-year contract at 250,000/week. But it doesn't mean he is staying, he could still leave. It's quite sad how a player that is paid so much, plays for such a great team, still wants to leave.
Anyways, I hope for Manchester fans, that if they sell him, they sell him to Real Madrid for 40M + Higuain or some other player...

[MangoKid]

It could very well mean he's leaving, but I don't think they'd do that to United supporters after all of that. If anything, you might see some signings from the United end. I know there's been a lot of talk of Wesley Snijder being linked to United for quite some time.