Tuesday, October 19, 2010
DAVID BECKHAM, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Jaap Stam, Paul Ince.
Those are the names Wayne Rooney should be thinking about this morning as he contemplates the foolish game of brinkmanship he has just entered into with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.
All of those greats should still be at Old Trafford, wallowing in the title of United ambassador like Bryan Robson, working as a coach like Ole Gunnar Solksjaer or winning trophies alongside Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. But all of them have long since gone and Rooney is in serious danger of following them out the door because, like so many before him, he got too big for his boots.
Rooney, whose relationship with his manager seems to be deteriorating by the day, has reportedly broken off talks about a new contract at Old Trafford and told the board he will not be signing – and considering his current deal runs out in the summer of 2012 that amounts to a "come and get me plea" in tabloid terms.
It comes just days after Rooney deliberately contradicted his manager, who had suggested he left the 24-year-old out of United’s side against Valencia and Sunderland because of an ankle injury.
Rooney knew exactly what he was doing when he approached reporters in the post-match mixed zone after England’s goalless draw against Montenegro, having studiously avoided interviews for so long in the previous months; he wanted to tell the world he didn’t have an injury and put pressure on Ferguson to start him against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
But his tactic back-fired spectacularly – he was left on the bench and now, in a fit of pique, he has stomped off like a chided toddler.
It’s the kind of tactic big-name players have tried before at England’s most famous club but there isn’t a single man who has crossed Fergie and survived – and it could prove to be a decision that Rooney repents at leisure.
The question now is whether the situation can be amicably resolved with a groveling apology from a contrite Rooney, as he is growing used to doing, or whether there is no way back and it really is all over for United’s favourite son.
Either way it is going to be painful for both sides.
Despite his numerous problems and his current lack of form, Rooney is hugely important to Manchester United and their hopes of success.
Statistics show that Rooney has started 177 games for United since arriving in 2004 and failed to start 59. In those games United scored an average of 2.11 goals a game when Rooney started – and only 1.54 a game when he didn’t. They also won an average of 72 per cent of their games with him and only 56 per cent without.
Given those figures you would presume United would do everything in their power to keep hold of an asset said to be worth €55m – and they have already issued a statement describing the idea of selling Rooney as "nonsense".
But don’t forget Beckham, van Nistelrooy, Stam and Ince enjoyed a similar stature and a ruthless Ferguson barely flinched as they were sacrificed for the greater good. History shows, too, that the club didn’t suffer – the trophies kept on coming and new heroes such as Ronaldo and Rooney were unearthed instead.
Now the future of United’s latest hero depends on behind-the-scenes talks and on the vagaries of the transfer market because the reality is there are only a handful of clubs in the world who can afford to buy him in January, when his value is at its peak.
Real Madrid have already hinted they are not overly interested, director general Jorge Valdano saying: "There will be neither ins nor outs in January. And June is a long way away. Madrid have two great strikers in Gonzalo Higuain and Cristiano Ronaldo, who showed last season that they are capable of scoring 60 goals between them. Who would we move aside if we signed another striker? It’s not a debate."
Things can change quickly in football, of course, but that leaves the uncomfortable prospect of Manchester City as the most likely buyers – a situation that even Ferguson, having already been stung by the departure of Carlos Tevez across town, must surely see as unacceptable.
Of course there is always Barcelona if they can somehow find the funds – but it shouldn’t be Fergie feeling the heat this morning, it should be Rooney.
After the way he has dragged Manchester United’s name through the mud with his visits to prostitutes there are many who would reflect he is fortunate to be in a job at all – and even more fortunate to have a manager willing to shield him from the media glare rather than publicly chastise him.
Rooney must also consider whether his personality is suited to playing abroad because it is certainly hard to picture him relishing a life so far away from his Merseyside roots – and as for interviews in Spanish, well, it has taken him four years to learn to do them in English.
The only phrase he really needs to learn right now is lo siento.
But, of course, sorry can sometimes be the hardest word...
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