THE PREM ERA 51WAYNE ROONEY
A
fter the Cruyff turn,
comes the Rooney U-turn.
Or rather, the Rooney
money-grab.Just days after
apparently signalling his likely exit from
Old Trafford, Wayne Rooney performed
a spectacular about-turn by agreeing
a new five-year deal that will make him
Manchester United’s best-paid player on
a reported salary of £180,000 a week.
The change of heart provided a
dramatic final twist in an extraordinary
sequence of events that was played
out – unusually for United – in public.
It had begun with a row over Rooney’s
fitness, with the player using the public
opportunity provided by the Wembley
mixed zone after England’s draw withMontenegro to question United’s claim
that he was carrying an ankle injury.
It continued with an extraordinary
press conference from Alex Ferguson
ahead of United’s Champions League
game at home to Bursaspor.
The United manager claimed he was
“dumbfounded” to learn from Rooney’sagent, Paul Stretford, that the player
would not be seeking a renewal of the
contract that was due to expire in the
summer of 2012.
Rooney countered the next day
by questioning United’s ambition.
“I met with [chief executive] David
Gill and he did not give me any of the
assurances I was seeking about the future
squad,” he said. “I then told him that
I would not be signing a new contract.
“For me it’s all about winning trophies- as the club has always done under
Sir Alex. Because of that I think the
questions I was asking were justified.”
He added: “Despite recent difficulties,
I know I will always owe Sir Alex 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 only18.”
The comments sparked frenzied
speculation that a move in theJanuary
transfer window was imminent, with
arch-rivals Manchester City set to take
advantage of Rooney’s plummetingtransfer market value.
And yet, before the week was out,
United announced that Rooney had
agreed a new long-term deal. A photo
was released of a smiling Ferguson with
his arm around Rooney after the player
had put pen to paper on a new deal.
“I’m sure the fans over the last week
have felt let down by what they’ve read
and seen,” Rooney said. “But my position
was from concern over the future. The
fans have been brilliant with me since
I arrived and it’s up to me, through my
performances, to win them over again.
“I’m delighted to sign another deal
at United. In the last couple of days, I’ve
talked to the manager and the owners
and they’ve convinced me this is where
I belong. I said on Wednesday that the
manager’s a genius and it’s his belief and
support that have convinced me to stay.”
In theory, Rooney’s bumper new
deal should now put the issue to bed,
but there remains a possibility that
Rooney could still leave United next
summer or the year after.
A gentleman’s agreement, similar to
that struck with Cristiano Ronaldo in the
summer of 2008, may have been done
whereby Rooney agrees to play for one
more season. By signing a new contract,
Rooney has ensured that any buyer will
have to pay United a large transfer fee,
possibly even break the world record.
Nobody knows for certain – and after
recent events, anything is possible.NOVEMBER 2010:In the space of just two days, Wayne Rooney announced
his intention to leave Manchester United, before dramatically changing his
mind and putting pen to paper on a record-breaking deal at Old Trafford
Rooney U-turn
Words:Gavin HamiltonOnce the issue of his future had been put to
bed, Rooney went on to play a decisive role in
the 2010-11 title race. Although his return of 11
league goals made it one of his lowest-scoring
seasons at United, one of them was arguably
the greatest in Premier League history.
“It was stunning. Unbelievable. We’ve had some
fantastic goals here but in terms of execution...
you’ll never see that,” said Alex Ferguson after
Rooney’s incredible bicycle kick in the dyingmoments of the clash with Manchester City –
not only United’s local arch-rivals and one of their
nearest competitors for the league title, but also
the side that Rooney had been linked with.
Rooney was, according to Gavin Hamiton in
World Soccer’s European league season review,
United’s “obvious stand-alone star” who had
“sparked back into life in the second half of the
campaign.” He ended the season with his fourth
Premier League winners’ medal and on the
scoresheet in the Champions League final as
United lost 3-1 to Barcelona at Wembley.WHAT CAME NEXT...