Why Fergie would be off his chops to sell Rooney
Vultures continue to circle around Manchester United in relation to the future of Wayne Rooney. The star, who has been conspicuous by his absence from public interviews since the Real Madrid game, has again been linked to a move away from Manchester United over the last 24 hours. PSG superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic was widely quoted as saying:
“Only he knows the decision he is going to make in the summer but the project we are trying to build here is clear.
“We are not content with being the dominant force in France, we want to be the top club in Europe as well,”
“I can understand why the owners are interested in Rooney – he is in the top 10 of strikers in Europe.”
Fergie has always maintained that noone is bigger than the club. That may be the case, but stats show that results have suffered in the aftermath of big name departures in the recent past.
In 2001, Fergie let Jaap Stam go and United didn’t win the league again until 2003, largely due to a porous defence. After David Beckham left the club in 2003 United went almost 4 years without a title win. This rebuild was compounded by the departure of Roy Keane, who left Manchester United in 2005.
At 27, questions have been raised about Rooney’s overall fitness and how much he has left to offer this club. Some believe that it may indeed be time to cash in on the player. He would still command a massive fee which could be re-invested in fresh talent.
If Manchester United fans want to put their faith in any decision to sell Wayne Rooney then so be it. But history suggests that they can expect a barren period as a consequence. Don’t assume that Manchester United will be competitive again at the very top level for a while if their best player does get his marching orders.
Because if Rooney does leave, Manchester United will not only lose their most gifted performer, but also one of the few natural leaders at the club. The others can be counted on one hand – Evra, Vidic and Ferdinand – but they are all well into their 30s and don’t represent the long-term future of the club. Then there Anderson who’s a real character but can’t get any consistency in his game and may well depart this summer. Beyond them, you have to look way back to Phil Jones, who needs at least a few years of injury-free football before even being considered as a true leader. And while noone doubts the quality of RVP, he’s not exactly the most vociferous player on the park – certainly not a natural rollocker of team-mates.
Rooney is Manchester United’s true leader. You can’t just buy one of these in. You have to develop them over time. Take the raw materials and then weave them into the fabric of the club. Rooney plays as if he would die for Manchester United and such qualities are as rare as they are vital in the modern game.
Big names have left the club in the past and Manchester United have eventually coped. But the sacking of Rooney could well be a step too far. It may not only mark the beginning of the end of United’s empire, but also prove to be the undoing of the club’s hitherto brilliant manager.
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Ohitai John Mario
Apr 4, 2013 at 6:10 pm
WMR10 shouldn’t leave Manchester United to avoid disappointing me and milions Utd fans around the universe! If Messi can’t leave Barca, why Rooney leaving Utd? Invest business in other players not Rooney. Don’t give us headache on the sell of R10, he’s NOT for sale!!!!! Give us 11(eleven) players in exchange of him(R10).