Rooney hints that managerial change convinced him to stay

Towards the end of last season, Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed that Wayne Rooney had asked to leave the club. Whilst Rooney’s representatives strenuously deny that a transfer request was handed in, there has never been any denials that a conversation matching Ferguson’s description took place. Ferguson later claimed that an official request wasn’t handed in as they would ensure he missed out on “loyalty payments” if sold.

Throughout the summer, Rooney stayed quiet. Every day there were stories linking him with a move to Chelsea and he refused to confirm or deny them. The only statement he made was to deny claims that he had removed any connection from United from his Twitter bio.

After replacing Ferguson, David Moyes repeatedly claimed that Rooney was staying put, and thanks to a lack of offers, the club were able to stay true to their word. Chelsea were the only team to put an offer on the table and there was no way United were going to sell to them, especially for £25m.

Having committed essentially the rest of his playing career to United, Rooney has hinted that the departure of Ferguson and arrival of Moyes helped change his mind.

“There was a lot of speculation in the summer but I was pleased when David Moyes came in to the club,” he said. “I’ve got a great relationship with him and he’s shown a lot of trust and faith in me. Talks have been ongoing for a long time. I’m delighted to be signed up now.”