Rooney: I signed new contract because of Moyes

In a season that has seen plenty of failings for David Moyes, he will be please to hear that he can be credited for convincing Wayne Rooney, one of the club’s best players, to sign a contract extension.

Rooney had his heart set on a move to Chelsea last summer after falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson, but now claims Moyes was a crucial factor in convincing him to stay.

“David Moyes’ influence on me signing the new contract was absolutely massive,” he said “Certain issues did arise last season that I wasn’t happy about. But out of respect to Sir Alex Ferguson I won’t talk about what went on because as far as I’m concerned it’s all in the past. When David Moyes took over he made it clear to me straight away that he wanted to draw a line under last season. And the key thing was when he assured me that he had total belief in me. Just as important, he also told me things that I probably didn’t want to hear. He told me I had lost something from my game and that I needed to get back to basics. The boss reminded me about the player I was. He wanted to know what had happened to all my aggression. He said that I’d lost something important from my game – and he wanted it back.”