Time for Rooney to leave

JULY 20 — Is Wayne Rooney on the verge of quitting Manchester United to join Chelsea?

Just a few months ago, the proposition would have seemed faintly ridiculous. Rooney has long been established, after all, as one of United’s most important players, practically serving as a symbol of the club for fans, teammates and opposition alike to focus their attention upon.

Now, however, it seems increasingly likely that the enigmatic striker’s future will lie away from Old Trafford.

This week’s ambiguous “backing” offered by new manager David Moyes (who suggested he will become a focal point of the attack only if Robin van Persie suffers an injury), followed by Jose Mourinho’s declaration that he’d love to bring Rooney to Stamford Bridge, were only the latest incidents in a long chain of events that have all conspired to nudge the England striker towards a transfer.

The events of late 2010, for starters, will not have been forgotten by the Old Trafford hierarchy. At that time, you will recall, Rooney announced he wanted to leave the club before being talked into a dramatic U-turn and signing a new five-year contract.

The way they were “played” by Rooney during that episode will still be fresh in the minds of United’s power-brokers, who will not allow themselves to be dictated to again. This time, United will be setting the agenda – not Rooney.

More recently, there was a sharp escalation of the frostiness between the club and the player towards the end of last season. Specifically, Rooney’s situation became open to question when Sir Alex Ferguson opted to leave him out of the team’s biggest game of the season: the Champions’ League second leg meeting with Real Madrid in March.

The fact that Ferguson preferred to select Danny Welbeck for such an important occasion – only introducing Rooney as a substitute in the 73^rd minute – said a great deal about the deterioration in his appreciation of the striker.

In the biggest games, managers tend to put concerns about form and fitness to one side and simply pick their best players: leaving Rooney out against Madrid suggested that Ferguson no longer regarded him in that category.

Of course, Ferguson is no longer in charge but his influence remains, and it’s a sure bet that new boss Moyes will have discussed the striker’s future with his predecessor.

Perhaps they have come to the conclusion that Rooney is no longer the force he used to be – that “he’s gone”, in footballing parlance. Ferguson is known for being ruthless in this respect, refusing to waver once he’s decided that a player’s best days are behind him (many years ago, such a judgment call led to the premature sale of Jaap Stam, for example).

Rooney has never looked like the kind of player whose career will extend deep into his fourth decade. The wear and tear on his body from playing so regularly ever since his mid-teens; the long and varied list of injuries; his lack of dedication to maintaining top physical shape (smoking and drinking); the mental pressure of being burdened with unrelenting expectations from club and country... they all suggest that Rooney will inevitably suffer from burn-out and struggle to deliver peak performance much beyond his 30^th birthday.

Even though he’s still only 27, maybe Ferguson and Moyes have decided that his peak is already in the past. Last season was Rooney’s most unproductive since he moved to Old Trafford in 2004 – he played fewer games (36) and scored fewer goals (16) than any other campaign. Although those statistics could prove to be a meaningless one-off, they could also be used to condemn Rooney as a spent force.

It’s also inescapably significant that Moyes and Rooney have a mixed, to say the least, personal history.

Although Moyes was the man responsible for introducing Rooney into first team football during their time together at Everton, their relationship nosedived after the striker used his autobiography to make allegations against Moyes about his departure from Goodison Park. Moyes sued him and Rooney was forced to pay a settlement fee of £500,000 (RM2,437,341) to prevent a court case.

Both men have claimed that episode is behind them and they are now happy to work together, but a lingering mutual distrust is unavoidable after such a bitter (and expensive) fall-out. At the first sign of trouble, old resentments would inevitably resurface and that could only lead to problems in the intense, pressure-cooker atmosphere of one of the world’s biggest football clubs.

Moyes, therefore, would surely be willing to wave goodbye to Rooney before their relationship has an opportunity to falter and cause significant damage in the dressing room.

And it seems the club’s hierarchy are happy to back that point of view. By refusing to start negotiations to extend Rooney’s contract (as chief executive Ed Woodward admitted a few days ago) even though his current deal has just two years remaining, United are strongly indicating they don’t regard him as an integral member of the squad in the long-term.

Wayne Rooney has been a magnificent player for Manchester United over the last decade and he will always hold a special place in the club’s history.

However, nothing lasts forever and there’s no room for sentiment in professional sport. At the moment, it’s clear that United are less than committed to Rooney, and Rooney is less than committed to United.

A relatively amicable parting of ways might be the best outcome for everyone concerned.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.