Denis Law, the King of the Stretford End, has revealed how he put himself in a similar situation to Wayne Rooney over a contract. Whilst Rooney has now put pen to paper on a deal worth £160k-a-week, Law reveals how it has amused him to watch the fuss and compare it to the row he had with Sir Matt Busby over a £10-a-week pay rise.

“I couldn’t help smile as I thought back to the time when I also said I would leave the club if they refused my pay demand,” said Law. “I have no idea about the details of Rooney’s contract or the kind of sums involved, but I suspect there was a slight difference in what we were looking for. Back in 1966, I asked Matt Busby for a rise of £10 a week! His response was to bring it all out in the open. He announced that he wouldn’t be held to ransom and had put me on the transfer list. I don’t know about Wayne, but I never really wanted to leave United. I was just trying it on. And in fact there was never any animosity. Matt sorted it with me very cleverly. He gave me a prepared statement of apology to sign and he presented it to the press. He had proved again what a strong manager he was and I was back on board. What Matt didn’t reveal was that he had secretly given me the tenner. That was his way of handling things.”

Law also reflected on the modern state of the game, where players move around so freely and football has become totally money related.

“Every player wants to do the best for himself and his family and I understand that,” he continued. “But nowadays it seems to be much more of a business. What happened to the real love of football? Why don’t we read more about players’ ability and wonderful skills? Let’s hope that now this chapter has closed we’ll hear more about Wayne Rooney the footballer and Manchester United the great club.”

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Full article at The Telegraph