Ferguson: Rooney wants to leave Manchester United

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Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson confirmed on Tuesday that Wayne Rooney wants to leave the English Premier League club in a series of interviews aimed at ending speculation over the soccer star's future.

"We cannot quite understand why he would want to leave," Ferguson told reporters, revealing he had first known in August that Rooney would not sign a new contract. "We don't understand it. I can't answer any questions about why he is doing it.

"We can speculate. We can have opinions. It won't matter a dickie-bird, simply because the player is adamant he wants to leave. We have to deal with the next part of that, which we will do, as best we can, in relation to this request.

"I can do no more than I have said at the moment because we still, to my mind, have the door open."

Rumors had been building that the striker had refused to extend his United deal -- which expires in mid-2012 -- following an apparent rift with Ferguson, with the player having publicly contradicted the Scot in statements about his fitness.

Ferguson has rarely selected Rooney in his starting line-up since newspaper reports emerged last month with claims about alleged marital infidelities, at first saying he was protecting the player and then that he had an ankle injury.

But the 24-year-old last week said he has had no fitness problems this season after returning to action in England's Euro 2012 qualifier against Montenegro, sparking widespread reports that he was unhappy with Ferguson.

"Why he was saying he wasn't injured, you can only guess yourself. It's disappointing," Ferguson told the United website on Tuesday.

"We've never had any argument, not a bit. I think you have to understand the mechanics of these situations when people want to leave the club. It's an easy one to say he's fallen out with the manager, a very easy one to say."

Ferguson said United chief executive David Gill had begun new contract negotiations with Rooney before the World Cup started in June.

"David, in the early part of the summer, had opened talks with his agent. And that was to be continued after the World Cup," Ferguson said.

"I was in the office on August 14 when David told me he'd had a call from his agent saying that Wayne wasn't going to sign his contract. So then David came across to see me. He said he couldn't believe it and neither could I.

"I was dumbfounded, I couldn't understand it at all because only months before he'd said he was at the biggest club in the world and he wanted to stay for life. We just don't know what's changed the boy's mind. David was shocked, I was shocked.

"I had a meeting with the boy and he reiterated what his agent had said. He wanted to go. I said to him, 'Just remember one thing: respect this club. I don't want any nonsense from you, respect your club.'

"What we're seeing now in the media is disappointing because we've done everything we can for Wayne Rooney, since the minute he's come to the club. We've always been there as a harbor for him. Any time he's been in trouble, the advice we've given him -- I've even been prepared to give him financial advice, many times."

Ferguson opted to rest Rooney for the match against his former club Everton in the light of newspaper allegations that the player had slept with prostitutes.

Rooney then played in the Champions League clash with Scottish club Rangers, but came off with an injury.

"He got an ankle injury in the Rangers game. He was seen clearly hobbling at halftime. He confirmed it himself in an interview with Sky," Ferguson told reporters at another press conference.

"My idea, based on the fact he wasn't playing that well, was to leave him out of the Sunderland game, make sure his ankle is properly prepared for the next game, and give him a 10-day recovery so he could play for England."

Ferguson said he decided to clear the air by talking publicly because the situation was affecting United's on-field performances, most recently dropping points against promoted West Brom on Saturday.

"There's been no falling out. That's why we need to clarify the situation now for our fans. Because what we saw on Saturday was unacceptable. When we were at 2-2 and the fans were chanting for Wayne Rooney, it put pressure on the players and it didn't do any good for the team.

"So we've got to clarify the situation and try to do it right. There's no [specific] offer on the table for Wayne [at the moment].

"Of course. David's prepared to offer the best terms possible for any player in the country. We realize and recognize the quality of the player, that's why negotiations were started early summer, two years before his contract was up, to extend that contract. And also extend at the behest of the player itself.

"He said he wanted to stay for life. We were honoring that request from Wayne to stay at the club, at the club he loved. He said the best thing he'd ever done was to sign for Manchester United.

"So David was prepared, with the discussions with our owners, to offer Wayne the best contract that anyone could have in the country."

Meanwhile, Rooney has been ruled out of Wednesday's home Champions League clash with Turkish club Bursaspor after suffering another ankle injury in training.

He was stretchered off the pitch in the morning session, meaning he joins veteran Ryan Giggs, defender Jonny Evans and striker Michael Owen on the sidelines. United's website said the extent of Rooney's injury was not yet known.
 
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