What a weekend of Premier League football – and for a change, that’s not Sky Sports hyperbole. Fabulous entertainment on the pitch, eye-popping revelations off it, and Tony Pulis having a go at Arséne Wenger. Some things just don’t get old…
The clear item of focus is Wayne Rooney’s sensational decision to leave Manchester United in January, as reported by the British media at large (and, splendidly here, by Fox Sports). There was the odd report of Real Madrid being interested in him in the summer, but only now can such rumours be taken seriously – the Beeb, among other respected media outlets, have cited Rooney’s representatives as confirming the player’s wishes have not been misreported.
I don’t think Rooney will be leaving United in the short-term – January is a notoriously difficult time to do business,
Rooney in happier times for United
and on current form there will be no club willing to pay United what he would have cost just six months ago. On top of that, Rooney is United’s talisman, last year’s driving force and arguably one of only two or three genuinely world class players in their side. Federico Macheda and Javier Hernández – and perhaps even Bébé – may have futures at the top level of football, but allowing Rooney to leave now would sacrifice a hell of a lot of footballing clout for the foreseeable future. It’s hard to imagine their young strikers and Dimitar Berbatov firing United to the Champions League title, for example.
The summer of 2011, however, looks a likely window for Rooney’s departure from Old Trafford, if he and his manager Sir Alex Ferguson are unable to reconcile their differences. Considering his possible destinations is a little muddling. English clubs naturally make for an incompatible transfer – Ferguson does not let good players join his rivals. Remember Gabriel Heinze? Secondly, Rooney has previously stated that he never wants to play abroad. Taking that at face value immediately rules out Real Madrid, Barcelona, and the Milanese clubs – arguably the continents biggest clubs, along with Rooney’s current employers.
However, circumstances change. Problems off the pitch can influence decisions which would ordinarily be made purely with football in mind. In the summer of 2006, Thierry Henry signed a new contract with Arsenal, pledging that it would be the last of his career. One year later he signed two more documents; a divorce settlement and a four-year deal with Barcelona. Allegations about Rooney’s off-the-field behaviour may not be the sole reason for his downturn in form and falling out with his manager, but it would be obtuse to claim he has been unaffected.
Interestingly, Real Madrid’s sporting director Jorge Valdano was recently quoted as saying “We’ve two great strikers, [Gonzalo] Higuaín and Cristiano [Ronaldo].” The missing name is Karim Benzema, one-time Manchester United target and current victim of Real’s embarrassment of riches. The potential is there for a deal which will leave all parties happy.
If Rooney wants to stay at Old Trafford he has some serious grovelling to fo to his boss or end up following Ince, Keave, Beckham and Stam out of the Old Trafford exit
That photo is fucking awesome.
I couldn’t agree more Richipedia, classic photo