Rooney no longer Sir Alex Ferguson's problem

Sir Alex Ferguson is content to leave the problem of what to do about Wayne Rooney to new Manchester United manager David Moyes.

Rooney has asked to leave United this summer even though he still has two years on his contract remaining.



Ferguson revealed last week the request had been turned down, and, along with Gary Neville, advised the England forward to get away during the summer, get his head sorted out and return refreshed.



The matter is not quite so simple, as United will not want to allow the 27-year old to drift beyond the summer without some kind of clear vision of his future. However, as Ferguson acknowledged, it is not his problem any more.

"I have not spoken to David about Wayne," said Ferguson.



"I'm sure he will address it when he gets here. I have no idea why Wayne wants to leave, it is not my department. I am no longer interested in that.



"David is going to deal with that and, quite rightly, he wants to deal with it."

Sir Alex on Mancini sacking:

"It is quite amazing," said the Manchester United manager, who retires after Sunday's game at West Brom.

"He has won the FA Cup, been in the final, second in the league and won the league and it's not good enough?



"I was surprised, but actually no, you can't say you are surprised not with some owners today. You can't be surprised, but I still don't think it was right.



"I was with the chief executive of Liverpool at our reserve game the other night and he told me that Brendan Rodgers, who has not been in the job a year, is the 30th longest-serving manager in the country. That's incredible."



Meanwhile, Ferguson revealed that he is no longer interested in the future of wantaway striker Wayne Rooney and says that his successor, David Moyes, will decide on whether the player has a future at Old Trafford.



He said: "I have not spoken to David about Wayne; I'm sure he will address it when he gets here. I have no idea why Wayne wants to leave, it is not my department. I am no longer interested in that.



"David is going to deal with that and, quite rightly, he wants to deal with it."

Bayern deny Rooney link

Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer insists his club have no interest in signing Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson revealed at the weekend that Rooney had made a transfer request, heightening speculation over the England international's future.

German champions Bayern have been amongst a number of clubs linked with Rooney but Sammer has firmly denied any interest.

"I don't know what Rooney would bring to the Bundesliga," Sammer is quoted by the Daily Telegraph. "I can't answer that.

"I can answer that we have great respect for Wayne Rooney but there has been no contact with him.

"He's not on the agenda. No, no. Absolutely not."

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Mixed reception for Rooney

Wantaway Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney received a mixed reception from fans during the club's trophy parade.



Thousands of supporters lined the streets of Manchester to applaud Sir Alex Ferguson and his players, but there were a host of boos for Rooney - who the manager revealed on Sunday had asked for a transfer.

Rooney did however pay tribute to his outgoing manager at the close of the parade, but made no comment on his future at the club.

"He has been brilliant for us all," said Rooney.

"He is a great manager. He is a winner and to do it for so long is incredible.

"He is a fantastic manager and a fantastic person."

And while there was varied reaction from fans for Rooney, team-mate Robin van Persie received cheers as he posed with the Premier League trophy, clearly relishing his first experience of being a league champion.

"It is incredible, much nicer than I expected," he said. "The medal has not left my neck since yesterday.

"It has been a really good year. The boys have been fantastic since day one.

"They want to share success. I want to have success but I want everyone to have success. Everyone plays their part."

United midfielder Paul Scholes, who announced his retirement on Saturday, received a striking reception from fans as he celebrated his 11th Premier League title.

"We set out each year to try and win the league. Most seasons we do it but it is good to see this turn out," Scholes said.

Rooney: Reports rubbish

Wayne Rooney has reacted with anger to reports that he had deleted the words Manchester United from his Twitter profile.

Rooney asked to leave the club two weeks ago and, in the wake of David Moyes' appointment as manager, it was pointed out that his profile used the term 'athlete' rather than specifying his club.

This was taken as another sign that the England striker wanted out of Old Trafford where, if he stays, he will be working with a manager he previously had a high-profile falling-out with.

But Rooney is adamant the stories are wide of the mark, and he said in a statement on his official website: "There's a load of rubbish being written about me changing (my) Twitter bio saying I have deleted Manchester United from it.

"I have never deleted Manchester United from the bio whatever the papers are saying because it was never on there.

"All that happened was that I was asked by Nike to add @nikeuk to it - the same as many other sportspeople they sponsor. Funny, no-one's written about that though!

"That change was made THREE weeks ago and yet people are talking about it as if its something that was put up yesterday.."

A spokesperson for Nike confirmed: "In April, we asked Wayne Rooney and other Nike sponsored athletes to add @nikeuk on to their profiles due to changes in ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) guidelines relating to athletes and social media."


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Kagawa leaving Rooney in the shade at United

Sir Alex Ferguson has hinted at Wayne Rooney falling further down the pecking order at Manchester United by claiming that Shinji Kagawa’s performances are highlighting the England forward’s loss of form.

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Rooney, who will make his 400th appearance for United if selected against Aston Villa on Monday, appeared disconsolate when substituted in favour of Ryan Giggs in the 71st minute of the 2-2 draw at West Ham United on Wednesday.

It was the ninth time in 29 starts that Rooney had been substituted by Ferguson this season and, coming just a week after he was replaced in the closing stages of the Old Trafford defeat against Manchester City, it appears the 27-year-old is becoming increasingly expendable.



He has lost his position as first-choice striker to Robin van Persie and now Ferguson’s praise of Japan midfielder Kagawa – a £17 million arrival from Borussia Dortmund last summer – suggests that Rooney is battling to lay claim to the playmaker role in front of the midfield.

“I think Shinji is doing very well for us now,” Ferguson said. “He has fantastic composure on the ball and always seems to pick the more sensible pass. He was terrific for the first goal [at West Ham], showing the composure to take the player on in a tight area and roll the ball in to Antonio Valencia.

“As far as taking Wayne off on Wednesday, it was simple. He wasn’t playing as well as Shinji and we wanted to get that goal. There have been so many games where Wayne Rooney has been better than most players, but on the night, Shinji was playing so well.



“The ironic thing was when we were chasing a goal with 14 minutes to go, I decided to put Chicharito on. Shinji made our second goal, but I’d already made the decision and given the fourth official the card. If I’d changed my decision, I think we would have won the game because Shinji was doing really well.”

Despite Kagawa’s recent return to form following a three-month lay-off with a knee injury, Ferguson refused to add weight to speculation linking Rooney with a summer move to Paris Saint-Germain.

The United manager also admitted to having no news on a possible contract extension for Rooney, but he played down the prospect of him leaving for Paris. “I don’t think there is anything in that at all,” he said.

United face Villa without Ashley Young following confirmation that the England winger will miss the rest of the season, and potentially the international friendlies against Republic of Ireland, Brazil, with a knee injury sustained against City on April 8.

Nemanja Vidic is also battling to overcome a facial injury sustained in a challenge with Andy Carroll against West Ham – a game described as a “war-zone” by Ferguson.

“Vida has a beautiful bruise on his cheekbone and we’re coming out of that war-zone happy to see no one seriously injured,” Ferguson said.

“The team was fantastic in terms of standing up to it. It was the type of game you get with Big Sam’s teams, we dealt with it well and have to be satisfied with coming back twice to get a point.”

“Ashley Young is out for the season. It’s unfortunate and it’s a bad blow. We thought it’d be two or three weeks but now he’s been down to the specialist and that’s why you saw him at the game on Wednesday.

“We took him down to a specialist in London and the prognosis was not very good at all. We’re going to lose him for the rest of the season.”

No PSG move for Rooney

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has dismissed the idea that forward Wayne Rooney will be joining big-spending French side Paris St Germain in the summer.

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A former adviser to the Paris club, Michel Moulin, told French television earlier this week that a deal was already in place for Rooney to cross the Channel.

"Wayne Rooney at PSG, it's done," he said. "You will see, from next season, he will be a PSG player."

But Ferguson said earlier in the season that Rooney would be staying at United for the 2013/14 campaign and his stance remains the same on the issue.

Asked about the PSG link, Ferguson replied: "I don't think there is anything in that at all."

There has been speculation about Rooney's future at Old Trafford since he was surprisingly left out of the starting line-up for the second leg of the Champions League clash with Real Madrid at Old Trafford.

And Rooney was the first man to be substituted by Ferguson when United were 2-1 down at West Ham on Wednesday night, with Robin van Persie going on to get the equaliser in a 2-2 draw.


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Top Richest footballers in the World

Former Real Madrid striker Raul Gonzales is the richest Spanish footballer, according to a recent report run by Goal.com on the sport’s richest.

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Raul who nows players for Qatari side Al Sadd, after a spell with German club Schalke, is worth around €44m, beating Barcelona striker David Villa (€43m), Iker Casillas (€35m) and Fernando Torres (€29m).



Another former Los Blancos player, David Beckham is number one on the list, earning a staggering 200m euros, whilst Barca’s Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo sit second and third respectively.



Another Real Madrid player, Kaka is fourth on the list, whilst Ronaldinho, now playing Brazil sits fifth.



Full List



1. David Beckham (PSG) – 200 million euros



2. Lionel Messi (Barcelona) – € 134m



3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – € 130m



4. Kaká (Real Madrid) – € 80m



5. Ronaldinho (Atletico Mineiro) – € 73m



6. Samuel Eto’o (Anzhi Makhachkala) – € 60m



7. Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) – € 58m



8. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG) – € 55m



9. Rivaldo (Sao Caetano) – € 53m



10. Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) – € 49m



11. Thierry Henry (New York Red Bulls) – € 48m



12. Michael Owen (Stoke City) – € 46.5m



13. Raul Gonzalez (Al Sadd) – € 44m



14. David Villa (Barcelona) – € 43m



15. Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) – € 41m



16. Ryan Giggs (Manchester United) – € 40m



17. Frank Lampard (Chelsea) – € 38m



18. Robbie Fowler (no team) – € 37.5m



19. Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) – € 37m



20. Robinho (AC Milan) – € 36m



21. Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) – € 35m



22. Frank Ribery (Bayern Munich) – € 33.5m



23. John Terry (Chelsea) – € 31.5m



24. Didier Drogba (Galatasaray) – € 29m



25. Fernando Torres (Chelsea) – € 29m



26. Wesley Sneijder (Galatasaray) – € 25.5m



27. Nicolas Anelka (Juventus – transfer) – € 25m



28. Alessandro Del Piero (Sydney FC) – € 24.5m



29. Miroslav Klose (Lazio) – € 24m



30. Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich) – € 24m



31. Francesco Totti (Roma) – € 24m



32. Petr Cech (Chelsea) – € 23m



33. Neymar (Santos) – € 23m



35. Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich) – € 23m



36. Joe Cole (West Ham United) – € 22.5m



37. Andrea Pirlo (Juventus) – € 22.5m



38. Paul Scholes (Manchester United) – € 22m



39. Damien Duff (Fulham) – € 21.5m



40. Park Ji-Sung (QPR) – € 21m



41. Daniele De Rossi (Roma) – € 21m



42. Clarence Seedorf (Botafogo) – € 21m



43. David Trezeguet (River Plate) – € 20m



44. Xavi (Barcelona) – € 20m



45. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) – € 19.5m



46. Ashley Cole (Chelsea) – € 19.5m



47. Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama F Marinos) – € 19.5m



48. Michael Essien (Real Madrid – transfer) – € 19m



49. Yaya Toure (Manchester City) – € 19m



50. Alessandro Nesta (Montreal Impact) – € 18.5m

Fergie: Rooney stays

Sir Alex Ferguson insists Wayne Rooney is staying at Manchester United, and will be involved against Chelsea in the FA Cup on Sunday.



Ferguson left Rooney out of the United line-up for Tuesday's Champions League defeat by Real Madrid, since when it has been suggested the Red Devils boss would be willing to accept an offer for the striker this summer.



However, speaking on Friday morning ahead of Sunday's FA Cup quarter-final with Chelsea at Old Trafford, Ferguson denied that was the case.



"He will be here next year, you have my word on that," he said.



"There is no issue between myself and Wayne Rooney. To suggest we don't talk is nonsense.



"He understood the reasons completely. Tactically we got it right. We don't always but we did then.



"There are no issues with the player and he will be involved on Sunday.



"I left out Shinji Kagawa after he scored a hat-trick. I thought I would get more stick for that."



Ferguson is still bitter about the circumstances of Tuesday's defeat, in particular the dismissal of Nani, on which the entire contest turned.



"It is hard to keep your faith when you have things like that," said Ferguson.



Ferguson refused to say whether Rooney would actually start on Sunday. And he again repeated his belief that the 27-year-old needed to play matches in order to retain full fitness, an assessment that has raised so much debate over the past few days.



"Why should I help anyone by telling them my team? We don't do that," said Ferguson.



"But Wayne does need a lot of football. He has always been that type. That has always been the case."



Ferguson said he had been concerned about the appointment of Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir prior to Tuesday's game.



Cakir has now sent off seven players from English teams, but never one against them.



"I was concerned. I said that to my staff," he said.



"I had a big worry about it, but it is gone now. There is nothing we can do about it."

Messi keen on Bale and Rooney

Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has hinted he would relish the prospect of playing alongside Premier League stars Gareth Bale and Wayne Rooney.



Rooney was omitted from the Manchester United line-up against Real Madrid on Tuesday night, sparking frenzied speculation about his future at Old Trafford.



While Bale is among the most in-demand players in Europe after scoring 24 goals for club and country so far this season.



Messi admits he would welcome the chance to play in the same team as either player in the future.



"Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale are both great players, they are doing so well for their clubs," the 25-year-old Argentine forward told the Daily Mail.



"And I always want to play with the best players.



"I have to be careful what I say because I can't see them leaving their teams soon.



"But, of course, I want to play with the best players."