Tom Penn, the owner of the new franchise in the MLS, Los Angeles FC has expressed his interest in signing Manchester United and England captain Wayne Rooney. This news comes shortly after Penn was in conversation with ESPN FC.
"Wayne Rooney is an example of the calibre of player we are looking to bring to LA FC," he said.
Penn has also stated that LA FC are looking at bringing in 9 other players apart from Rooney, whose names he has not mentioned as yet.
"He is one of 10 names we are looking at, but we are a long way from signing anybody up right now.”
However, the club LA FC is still in its infancy and is a year and a half away from officially being able to play in the MLS.
"We are still 18 months away from our first MLS game, so we will see if players of Rooney's status and reputation are interested.” Tom Penn said. "But LA FC is a club with the ambition to match its surroundings, so it is important for us to attract players with a global reputation."
Rooney has had a sub-par season so far and isn’t getting any younger with some fans speculating that his Manchester United days might be gradually coming to an end, possibly after this season or the next. The 31-year-old England international had reportedly turned down an offer from Chinese football club Beijing Guoan in the summer, according to statements by Chinese Super League honorary chairman Lou Ning.
However, Rooney still seemingly desires to compete at the highest level in Europe and England and would continue with the Red Devils until he decides it is time to move on. The American Major League Soccer seems like the favoured destination for ex-England players, with moves from Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard in the recent past and Wayne Rooney will surely consider the move 18 months from now.
News coming in today states that Rooney has been withdrawn for England’s game against Spain at Wembley tonight with a knee problem and the Manchester United medical staff are looking into the injury, with the aim of getting him fit before their crunch game against Arsenal this weekend.
Rooney has scored only 1 Premier League goal so far this season but has chipped in with four assists under Jose Mourinho, and he will certainly be looking to up his game and perform better for the Red Devils once he is available again.
This is a clear statement of intent from Los Angeles FC and their board and it will surely give Rooney something to think about 18 months from now, but for the moment he remains focused on Manchester United.
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