What a turnaround; only two days earlier Rooney had announced his intention to leave our magnificent football club in pursuit of a new challenge to match his lofty ambitions. His motive seemingly the calibre of players we had brought in during the summer window simply weren't up to the job. Fergie played a blinder in the pre-match press conference before we faced Bursaspor in the Champions League, and the next thing we know, Rooney has a large wage increase and is suddenly very happy in Manchester once more. Happy days.
The fallout lasted significantly longer than most imagined at the time - at least on the pitch. Rooney went through a long barren spell where he could hardly buy a goal, despite his new astronomical salary being quoted by the media. However, Rooney went on to enjoy one of his greatest spells of form after the turn of the year, combining goals with assists and an all round quality of play which made his £27 million fee back in 2004 look like an absolute steal. The Wayne Rooney we all loved was back to his scintillating best; the Premier League title was returned to Old Trafford after Wayne blasted in a penalty to earn a point away to Blackburn, and a third appearance in a mere four years in the Champions League Final was also secured. A fantastic season all round, which has since been complimented by the addition of David de Gea, Phil Jones, Ashley Young, Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie, topped off by securing our 20th league title last season. Surely any lingering doubts Rooney had about United's ability to continue to be successful had been eradicated in emphatic fashion.
So why are we once more seeing those same headlines we saw back in the Autumn of 2010 this summer? "Rooney Wants Out" and "Rooney After New Challenge at Chelsea" could well apply to Wayne's first transfer tantrum, or indeed the current one. Many, many United fans hold the opinion that enough is enough with respect to Wayne Rooney, and that we should just cut our losses and get rid of him before he causes more serious disruptions and divides in the squad than he may have done already. Rumour has it that he and one or more senior players had a heated debate about his ongoing commitment to the club, which was the cause for the mystery "shoulder injury" preventing him even travelling to the recent friendly match in Sweden. I'm not sure whether I believe that or not - of course, you've always got to have a skeptical perspective when it comes to the British press nowadays.
Personally, I feel that it was a slightly 'weak' move by Fergie to bend to Rooney's wage demands back in 2010; however it was probably a necessary move at the time given that Ronaldo and Tevez had moved on and Rooney was our star man - we needed him. The present situation is rather different; the acquisition of Robin van Persie, coupled with the development and obvious talents of Chicharito and Danny Welbeck means that we could probably afford to get rid of our loveable Scouser and still pose a serious goal threat to opposition defences.
This time around, another bumper pay packet increase is out of the question too. In the eyes of the Stretford End faithful, he simply hasn't earned his status as the highest paid player at the club with his performances over the last two seasons. Some would even go as far to say he hasn't turned up in some our most important matches - Manchester City away in April of 2012 the standout example of this. Certainly, the tide of the title race turned that night and arguably it was the game when it slipped from our grasp - and Rooney had almost no impact on the match whatsoever, just when we needed him to stand up and be counted.
Despite all of this though, I hope beyond all measure that he's still a Manchester United player when this transfer window closes. We have yet to hear from the player himself and maybe, just maybe he's not quite as determined to leave as the tabloids would have us think. If he can develop a good working relationship with David Moyes once more, we could finally see Rooney playing somewhere close to his best again. It's a World Cup year, Rooney is in the prime of his playing days and even when he's had 'poor' seasons before, he's still managed 20 goals - everything is in place for him to have the season of his life. Just imagine what he could achieve whilst playing as the focal point of a young, exciting Chelsea squad.
I post on RedCafe and I've said it on there several times already, and I'll probably continue to repeat myself until Rooney is sold or the transfer window closes - the worst thing which could happen to the club before the start of the new season is that Wayne Rooney goes off to play his football under Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge. It would be another huge weight hanging over Moyes before he's even got started and I truly believe a rejuvenated Rooney would be a revelation at Chelsea. A striker is just what they are missing - are we going to give them exactly what they want and need?
It will take a while for him to win most of the fans over again, but good performances and goals are the quickest way to do so. He may not be our superstar striker when compared to van Persie. He may feel bullied by Ferguson, and we'll never know what went on there. He may even just want more money once more. Despite everything though, all I have to say is sort yourself out, Wayne, and please don't sign for Chelsea.
Please leave comments and feedback below and I'll do my best to respond to any comments. Advice and tips are also welcome and I'd appreciate any positive criticisms too. Follow me on Twitter @JmRssll555.
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