Manchester United set for emergency talks on Wayne Rooney's future
• 10am meeting to decide if club will sell Rooney in January
• Sir Alex Ferguson adamant United 'don't want this carrying on'
Daniel Taylor at Old Trafford guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 20 October 2010 21.42 BST Article history
Sir Alex Ferguson will hold emergency talks with Manchester United's chief executive, David Gill, tomorrow morning to decide whether to sell Wayne Rooney after the player's damning statement accusing the club of not matching his own ambitions and questioning whether they are in decline.
Gill spoke with the Glazer family during the evening and a meeting has been arranged for 10am to decide whether to make Rooney available in the January transfer window. The club are incensed after Rooney went public with his misgivings about whether the club will be in a position to compete for major trophies over the coming years, an explicit admission that he feels United are stagnating under the ownership of the Glazers.
The player's statement prompted a robust defence from Ferguson after the 1-0 Champions League defeat of Bursaspor and it is increasingly likely Rooney will never play for the club again.
"The important thing is that we put it to bed," Ferguson said. "We have a meeting at 10am when we will assess the whole situation. David has already spoken to the owners, which is important. We don't want this carrying on. We don't want a saga and we don't want it becoming more important than the team. It could affect morale. If we carry on with one individual dominating the headlines and our thoughts we would not be doing our job."
Ferguson said it was not an option to suspend Rooney but he did not disguise his anger about the way the England international, seriously considering a potential £260,000-a-week offer to join Manchester City, had publicly questioned United's ambition. "Have I won 30 trophies or what?" the manager said. "I have every confidence in the future of this club.
"We have a good structure, the right staff, the right manager, the right chief executive. There's not a thing wrong with Manchester United. Some players like to think there's a better world somewhere else but it never really works. They look in a field and see a cow and they think it's a better cow than the one in their own field, and it never really works out that way."
Rooney had released his statement barely two hours before a match in which supporters brandished banners attacking his behaviour. "I met David Gill last week and he did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad," Rooney 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."
The clear implication was that Rooney believes United are in danger of slipping behind the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City and he went on to question Ferguson's account of what had happened from the manager's press conference yesterday. "I was interested to hear what Sir Alex had to say and surprised by some of it. It is absolutely true, as he said, that my agent [Paul Stretford] and I have had a number of meetings with the club about a new contract. During those meetings in August I asked for assurances about the continued ability of the club to attract the top players in the world."
A spokesman for the Glazers declined to comment but Ferguson's response was delivered emphatically. "We will invest for signature players when the time is ready, and this summer was not right for me. Our policy is to bring in young players and it is the right policy."
The manager was particularly aggrieved by the suggestion that his younger players might not be up to United's standard. "That's the trouble with potential. People don't identify potential – they're very poor at it – whereas I've identified it all my life. Others don't. I had a player once who said to me Rooney and Ronaldo weren't good enough and he was not prepared to wait until they were good enough."
The developing war of words came on the day City's manager, Roberto Mancini, admitted he was monitoring Rooney's potential availability. "Every manager always works towards what is best for his club," Mancini said. "I'm not surprised [Rooney wants to leave] because I think the world has changed and the top players can change their teams every year now if they want."
Mancini diplomatically suggested that Rooney could stay at Old Trafford but the player cited "recent difficulties" with Ferguson before delivering what appeared to be his farewell line. "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 only 18. For United's sake I wish he could go on forever because he's a one-off and a genius."
