Reports: Wayne Rooney decides on Manchester United future

What’s the story?

Wayne Rooney’s future at Manchester United has been on tenterhooks for quite a while now – the record scorer for the Red Devils has not been in the best of form over the past couple of years. There is, though, still some fight left in the grizzled veteran if reports in the Sun are to believed. The striker has a year left on his current contract but can trigger a 12-month extension option on his £300,000-a-week salary and is set to reject the proposed £10 million golden handshake (goodbye) that the united hierarchy had been planning.

In case you didn’t know

Rooney, of course, had been linked with possible transfers to Stoke City, West Ham United, the money-laden Chinese Super League and most strongly with a return to boyhood club Everton where he burst on to the scene all those moons ago.

Any excuse to watch that first stunner again...

Remember the name? Aye, it’ll be tough to forget it now alright.

The heart of the matter

The Liverpudlian’s insistence to stay would stem from the fact that he stands to make three times the money offered in the golden goodbye if he stays for a further two years – a cool £30 million. This alone would be enough to motivate the Manchester United captain to stay – but many would feel the added motivation is the mere fact that he would like to prove that he is not yet past his glorious best.

Last season, he scored just 8 goals – his lowest tally since his first professional season in 2002-03, where he scored 8. Since then, his record has read 9, 17, 19, 23, 18, 20, 34, 16, 34, 16, 19, 14 and 15. That’s quite a sharp decline for a man who can quite rightly put hi name in the hat for any debate on “England’s greatest player of the last three decades”

Video

Wayne Rooney, in happier times:

You may not remember it now, but the man could play.

Author’s take

Rooney has split Manchester United’s support like few others. His spat with Sir Alex Ferguson late in the Scotsman’s career, and rumours of him agitating for a move to Manchester City (of all the teams), drove a faction of the fans dead against him while even more have turned on him after a spate of what can only be called poor performances. Others though still love him for the 13 years of selfless service he has rendered the club.

The thing is though, can United afford the extra 300k-a-week that the man who is now nothing but a bit-part-player that he is now commands as they seek to reclaim their lost throne?