Just how did this story come about ? At the end of last season if anybody even hinted that Wayne Rooney would've been considering his future at Manchester United after just three months into the new campaign I would never believe it.
Lets trace back....
The media circus surrounding Rooney began earlier this summer during the World Cup where Rooney and the England team as whole had a poor showing at the tournament. Manchester United fans however were far less interested in those performances and were more concerned about him avoiding injury so that he could carry on from where he left off last season in the red shirt.
For some reason however, even after this season had started, Rooney still wasn't finding his form. Still, most Man United supporters should not have been too perturbed, as this was characteristic of Wayne Rooney ever since he joined the club - there was always a part of his season where he would have a quiet spell. The only difference now is that the limelight is totally on him and there is no Ruud Van Nistelrooy or Ronaldo to shoulder the burden. To make matters worse, in addition to his poor start to the season, allegations about his private life came out in the media in late September which brought about even more unwanted media attention.
At this point Sir Alex tried his best to protect the player by using injury as an excuse for dropping him from the team, only for Rooney to come out and contradict Ferguson about his injury. This scenario was now fuel for outrageous media stories and we were all led to believe that there was a rift between boss and player until Sir Alex revealed in his pre-match interview today that he has had absolutely no arguments with Rooney and there was no falling out. Not only that, but the shocking revelation that Rooney had actually intimated that he wanted to leave the club as early as August 14th. This was all before allegations about his private life and also before his poor form this season. This makes the whole story now even more complicated as we are now left to wonder what could have happened between the end of last season and early this summer that would cause him to be considering his future at the club. We are all totally bemused.
However, as Sir Alex has stated, he is still leaving the door open for him to reconsider which I believe most United fans will agree with. There is no doubt about his quality and he will eventually find his form, but if he still insists on going then its best we sell him as early as possible during the January transfer window. There is no point keeping a player who no longer wants to play for the club and as we all know... No player is greater than Manchester United Football Club.
Now that the news of Rooney's likely departure has surfaced, there have been some reports of possible destinations during the January transfer window. If he should leave I don't believe Ferguson should necessarily try to replace him with another striker as there are already enough at the club, but should possibly replace him with a creative/goalscoring midfielder and press forward with rebuilding the team as we have done several times before.
Possible Deals:
Manchester City
It seemed absurd at first, but I could live with him moving to City. They are willing to pay silly money for players and we would have no problem taking their money. I just don't see how he would fit into Mancini's plans.
Chelsea
This option is by no means far-fetched at all as Chelsea's attacking duo of Anelka and Drogba is aging. Abramovic would also be more than able to finance such a deal.
Tottenham
I just dont see a move to Spurs materializing as this would be a downward step, but it was reported that Harry Redknapp would be interested in signing him. A straight swap for both Modric and Bale and I believe most Man United would have no problem. But this option just doesn't seem feasible.
Real Madrid
Serious contenders in my opinion, but one still has to wonder how Rooney would fit into Mourinho's current plan. Some are suggesting that a swap deal with Benzema is possible but I am totally against such a move. I would rather see a swap deal with Kaka (even though he turned down the chance to move to England last season). Seems unlikely unless he's forced out.
Barcelona
Barcelona has been mentioned but I don't believe a move to the Catalan club could ever materialize anytime in the near future: 1) Barcelona currently has no money 2) They are saving to buy Cesc.
Inter Milan
I'm not sure if Inter would be able to afford him either. A swap deal with Sneijder however ? That would definitely be a good deal.
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