Wayne Rooney’s name is all over the news and will be all summer following his representatives “angry and confused” statement was released to the press yesterday.
The 27-year-old’s potential departure from Old Trafford was always likely to be the biggest transfer story this summer but it has already kicked into full swing after only a couple of days.
The media furore started last week after David Moyes’ reportedly claimed that Manchester United would need Rooney as cover for Robin van Persie which would have irked Rooney back in England.
“Overall, my thought on Wayne is, if for any reasons we had an injury to Robin van Persie, we’ll need him,” Sky Sports reported Moyes as saying.
“Wayne can play up on his own, he can play dropped in. It’s going to be a time to see how I work with Wayne.
“Manchester United isn’t about Wayne Rooney. Manchester United is about the team – the club.
“I won’t allow Wayne Rooney to become more important than the football club and the football team, because that’s the heart of it.”
Certainly, if Moyes had simply said that then Rooney had a right to be angry and confused given that Moyes stood firmly behind him in his first press conference as United manager.
But according to James Northcroft, a Sunday Times’ football correspondent who was at the Moyes press conference in Bangkok where the quotes were taken from, gives a very different account of what Moyes actually said.
In black & white, Moyes' "back up" comment about Rooney looks cold. But no insult was intended. I was there, here's the exact context (1/4)
— Jonathan Northcroft (@JNorthcroft) July 17, 2013
Moyes on Roo in full: "I think heâs got a major role to play because we need to try and get as many goals as we possibly can." (2/4)
— Jonathan Northcroft (@JNorthcroft) July 17, 2013
"I think W can play up-top he can play dropped in. Overall my thought on W is heâll be key. If for any reason we had an injury to Robin" 3/4
— Jonathan Northcroft (@JNorthcroft) July 17, 2013
"Robin we are going to need him. I want to be able to play the two of them, I want to be able to use Danny Welbeck, Chicarito as well." 4/4
— Jonathan Northcroft (@JNorthcroft) July 17, 2013
What this suggests to me is that Rooney’s camp, including the ever-so-popular Paul Stretford, has used this situation to their advantage to try and kick up a public storm.
Moyes didn’t say that Rooney would play “second fiddle” to Van Persie at any point. He indicated that he would like to use both of them and merely stated that if Van Persie was to get injured, United would be reliant on Rooney.
But Rooney’s representation have got what they wanted. Rooney is all over the news, he is trending worldwide and everybody is talking about his future. Chelsea have now made a bid for him and the tombola is well and truly turning.