Wayne Rooney is highly unlikely to leave Manchester United next week and has been left surprised by José Mourinho's claim he could do so, though the striker is set to depart the club in the summer.
Rooney, who missed Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory in Saint-Étienne which confirmed United’s progress to the last 16 of the Europa League, is determined to try to see the season out, so unless United actively tell him he can depart or there is lucrative last-minute offer from China’s Super League before their window closes on Tuesday, the striker will remain at Old Trafford.
Mourinho’s comments that he could not guarantee Rooney would still be a United player beyond February 28th caught the player and his camp unawares as he has no wish to leave at this stage.
On Tuesday, when asked about Rooney’s future, the manager said: “You have to ask him. Of course I can’t guarantee he will still be here next season. I cannot guarantee that I’m here next week, how can I guarantee that a player is here next season? What I can guarantee is that, if one day Wayne leaves the club, it is not because I want him to leave the club.
“I would never push a legend of this club to another destiny. You have to ask him if he sees himself staying in the club for the rest of his career or sees himself moving. I was very open with you in the answer. I don’t want him to leave.”
While this bemused the captain, he is unhappy at his lack of regular starts under the manager and unless this situation vastly improves before the season ends he will depart in the close season.
There have been exploratory discussions between Paul Stretford, Rooney’s agent, and Tianjin Quanjian, who are coached by Fabio Cannavaro, but these have amounted to no material offer.
“We did make an approach for Rooney,” Cannavaro told Tianjin TV. “It was just a chat because he simply doesn’t suit our style of play. No further discussion was necessary.”
It is thought that SIPG and Shenhua, the two Shanghai-based clubs, do not currently have an interest in Rooney and so his options in China are limited.
Long-term future
Adam Lallana has admitted he wants to be part of "something special" after signing a new long-term contract with Liverpool believed to be worth around £150,000-a-week.
The 28-year-old has become an integral part of Jürgen Klopp’s plans at Anfield and Liverpool have been in discussions over a contract extension with his representatives over recent months. The England international is believed to have signed a new three-year contract which commits his future to the club until 2020, with an option of another year.
Lallana initially struggled at Anfield following a £25m transfer from Southampton in 2014 but has developed impressively since Klopp took over as manager. The midfielder will follow Philippe Coutinho in committing his long-term future to the club.
“I’m very proud and feel quite humbled by the show of faith from the club and the manager in particular,” said Lallana. “Signing for a club like Liverpool is obviously a big thing – but to re-sign shows you’ve obviously contributed enough that the people who make the decisions want you to stay longer.
“This is a really good place to be at the moment and for a player who wants to be part of something special, I can’t think of a better club to commit your future to. We have a brilliant squad of players who are only going to get better the longer we are together. We have a world-class manager and coaching staff.
“And because it’s Liverpool there is that added X-factor of the supporters and what success would mean to them when we achieve it here. I’m just delighted that I’m going to be part of it for even longer.”
Klopp added: “This is fantastic news for the club because Adam is a great player and an even better person. I am so pleased that we will spend more time together now and have this common future with LFC trying to be successful here.
“Adam is a natural leader and is so, so important within our team and also in the dressing room. Maybe on the outside his leadership is not seen as much as we see it each and every day at Melwood in everything he does. What I think is most exciting about this news is that this player is only just arriving at his peak.”
Guardian Service
