Rooney saga: Publicity stunt?

Fans show support for Wayne Rooney
The 24-year-old signed a new five-year contract with Manchester United on Friday, just two days after saying he would have to leave because the club did not match his ambitions.
The decision was greeted with disbelief in some quarters but with an air of resignation in others due to the belief that the striker had simply played the system to get a more lucrative deal.
Former Manchester United star Lou Macari was the most vocal, saying it was “cheeky” and a “slight on his colleagues.
“Had he been playing in the 70s or 80s the players would have asked him just what he was playing at,” Macari said. “They think they are good enough to win trophies. Does he not think that?
“It’s disrespectful to ask the chief executive (David Gill) what is going on. I am not saying he has not got the right, but it’s quite cheeky. He should not be doing it. I would think the lads in that dressing room are raging at this moment in time.”
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had struck first by bringing Rooney’s reluctance to sign a new contract into the public in a very open statement on Wednesday, in which he said he did not understand Rooney’s thought processes.


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Rooney says sorry

Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney are rebuilding their relationship after a new deal was signed
Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed Wayne Rooney has apologised to him and his Manchester United team-mates.
Rooney performed a sensational about turn and signed a new deal at Old Trafford, just two days after revealing he wanted to leave the club. In his amazing statement, Rooney suggested the Red Devils lacked ambition and inferred the current crop of players were not good enough.
Two days on, a five-year contract was signed and Rooney has admitted he has bridges to build with the fans. The England international also has to make peace with his fellow players and he has made moves to do that, according to Ferguson.
"Wayne has apologised to me and the players," Ferguson told radio station Key 103. "He will also do so with the supporters.
"I always feel it is a quality in a person when they say sorry and realise they made a mistake."

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Ferguson calls for focus after Rooney resolution

Sir Alex Ferguson has seen his side drop ten points in eight games
Sir Alex Ferguson has urged Manchester United to retrain their focus on catching Chelsea in the Premier League after seeing the controversy over Wayne Rooney's future reach a positive conclusion on Friday.
Despite announcing earlier in the week that he wished to leave Old Trafford due to a lack of ambition on the club's part, Rooney surprised the football world by instead signing a new five-year deal, delighting Ferguson.
The striker has apologised to the manager and his team-mates, though he still has to reconcile with United fans, and Ferguson now hopes the club's attention can be devoted to cutting Chelsea's five-point advantage, starting with Sunday's trip to Stoke.
"There is no problem with the players or myself," Ferguson said. "We are doing what is best for Manchester United. We have important issues ahead, starting with Stoke City on Sunday.
"We are lagging behind Chelsea and we have to start making up ground quickly. We can only do that with everyone on board, with no one jumping ship. Then we can push on and see the real Manchester United."
"It has been a turbulent few days," Ferguson added when speaking to radio station Key103. "We have been hurt by events but Wayne has apologised to me and the players. He will do so with the supporters too.
"I always feel it is a quality in a person when they say they are sorry and realise they have made a mistake. That happens with young people." Read more...

Risk-taker Rooney threatens to poison the well

Wayne Rooney is staying at Manchester United
"If one player in the team does not trust the others, he should not play in the team. I trust everyone, I know we can win." That was Patrice Evra's unequivocal verdict after Wayne Rooney released a statement confirming his desire to leave Manchester United due to fears over their competitiveness.
Less than two days later, one of the most shocking U-turns in recent memory has seen Rooney pledge the next five years of his career to United. Ostensibly, this is a show of faith from the England striker in the Red Devils' squad, having been seduced by Sir Alex Ferguson's reassurances.
But the accusations will still fly around Rooney's head, with the most cynical suggesting that his desire to exit was no more than a ploy in order to secure a more lucrative contract. Does a picture of Ferguson and Rooney standing together in gleeful contentment conceal a murkier truth? Any conclusions at this stage are no more than conjecture but, whatever Rooney's intentions have been, he has enacted a high-risk strategy - and forced Ferguson to follow suit.

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