Two major stories broke yesterday: the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and the unofficial transfer request of Wayne Rooney. With David Moyes the overwhelming favourite to become manager of Manchester United at the end of this season, could the Scotsman be forced to sell England?s top striker for the second time in his managerial career?
The 27 year-old was sold as an 18 year old by Moyes to the Red Devils in August 2004 for a fee of approximately ?25 million, and he made an immediate impact with a hat-trick in a Champions League demolition of Fenerbahce. The striker-cum-midfielder has gone on to score 141 goals in the league for Manchester United from 278 appearances: a remarkable record, even for a footballer of Rooney?s calibre. However, his time at United has not always run smoothly; during the 2010-11 season he announced that he wished to leave the club, before dramatically changing his mind and signing a new 5 year-contract (until June 2015).
For the whole of his Manchester United career he has been playing under Ferguson; now, at a time when it appears that he will be leaving the club, he will be under the tutelage of Moyes. Although the Red Devils have issued a clear statement of ?Wayne Rooney is not for sale?, the current-Everton manager may well have to deal with the heartbreak of selling the Englishman again.
Source: DSG
Source: DSG