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October 2010: Wayne Rooney confirms his rumoured desire to leave Manchester United Football Club

by releasing the following statement.

"I met with David Gill [United chief executive] last week and he did not give me any of

the assurances I was seeking about the future squad. I then told him that I would not be

signing a new contract."

The whole Manchester United faithful held their hearts in their hands, "Don't go Wazza" and after a

dramatic U-turn, he signed a new 5 year deal making him the highest earning player at this club,

something he truly deserved and a great relief for all of us.

Come March 2013, he was left out of the starting line-up in favour of one of Welbeck, Nani or Giggs

in what was the biggest tie of the season, the return leg against Real Madrid in the Champions

League. All of us were like, "Oh god, not Giggs again" remembering all those important matches in

which he played as a central midfielder (). Though all three of the above mentioned players did

pretty well in that match, it was also the inception of the rumours of Wayne Rooney's Manchester exit

(Again). Wayne has not had a great season considering his stellar last season but 16 goals and 14

assists in 37 appearances (6 of them from the bench and many more prematurely withdrawn) is not

at all a bad return for a player who has been injured twice in the season and had to play out of

position numerous times. Not by any standards. None of us were happy seeing Wazza starting on the

bench or being taken off in many matches, including all of those who are shouting curses against

him. I never understood why Fergie insisted on playing Persie in each and every match, even the low

profile ones and more importantly during that slump of his. I was puzzled, why wouldnt he start

Chicharito? He did finish the season strongly though, scoring some memorable goals particularly the

second one against Aston Villa.

To be frank, Rooney was never given the chance to be the player he promised to be when he shot to

prominence with a wonderful strike against Arsenal as a 16 year old teenager in Everton blue.Everything went fine till he made the big money transfer to Manchester United, becoming the then

most expensive teenage footballer (Deservingly). But United already had a player determined to

reach great places racing on the highway to heaven. Cristiano Ronaldo. To bring the best out of

players like Messi and Ronaldo, they have to be made the focal point of their teams attack. No doubt

you need to have quality players around them, but they had to be complimenting these great players

and play in their shadow rather than try to come out of the eclipse (Like Zlatan Ibrahimovich tried at

Barcelona). And Rooney, whose name is supposed to be included with those twos but sadly is made

one of those quality players surrounding them. He was supposed to be a great player like them but

was confined to being a good player complimenting Ronaldo. They both cherished together, built a

deadly partnership with Tevez and the attacking trinity almost brought us a second Treble in 2008.But Ronaldo was the big man. He sold the most jerseys, fans sang for him and he was our go-to

man. After a disappointing loss to Barcelona in the UEFA CL Final, 2009 in Rome, both Ronaldo and

Tevez left United. The former to make his boyhood dream of playing for Real Madrid come true and

the latter to the place he should have least chosen to remain in the heart of the Red folklore of

Manchester, Manchester City. Then was the chance for Rooney to shine. As our go-to man. As our

star, a Talisman. He didnt fail us. Fergie said Watch Wayne go and yes we did watch in awe, as he

scored goal after goal. A total of 34 in 42 appearances. But it wasnt enough for us to win the league

and we had to be content being the winners of the Carling Cup or the Mickey Mouse Cup as some call

it. But Wayne Rooney gave us a glitter of hope, to replace Ronaldo.

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Come 2010-2011 season. A little Mexican forward was brought in from unknown lands and Welbeck

came in from the Mancunian homelands. So we had four forwards again, including the silky Berba. To

accommodate all of them, Wayne Rooney had to move all over, once again. We stayed behind him,

saying that he was all over the pitch. I see only one reason behind his first transfer request.

Fergusons obsession to have as many as strikers possible, mostly 4. Central midfield is the weak link

of your team and when you already have world class forwards like Ronaldo, Rooney and Tevez, why

break the bank and go all guns for Berbatov? Fine. You have Rooney firing on all cylinders, Berbatov

settling in and Welbeck coming in through the ranks, why go for another striker instead of buying a

good central midfielder? Wesley Sneijder may be. Fergies obsession for strikers has made life difficult

for Wayne Rooney, the striker. Wayne Rooney, the footballer still played out his heart in every match,

wherever he was deployed, be it a striker one match, a deep lying forward the other or a left attacker

in another. The league was won, yet another Champions League Final was lost to Barcelona in which

the most expensive player in the clubs history and the top scorer of the Premier League for that

season could not even make the bench and new boy, Hernandez finished the season with 20 goals

and was a fan favourite. The Little Pea. Yet another match was lost due to our inferiority in the

middle of the pitch. Berbatov fell out of favour in the next season and Wayne once again the heart

throb of our attacks the next season. The season which marked the so called rise of the blue moon.

Rooney finished with 27 league goals but the season ended without any silverware, not because our

attack was lacking but we got ran over in the middle of the pitch when it mattered once again and a

season ending injury to our captain Vidic. We couldnt just match the midfield consisting Yaya Toure

and David Silva and ended losing the league on goal difference. The lack of mettle in the centre of

the pitch can be understood when Paul Scholes was recalled from retirement (though we were having

many injury problems, none of our then injured midfielder would have been a match to those of

European powerhouses). Once again, no midfielder was signed in the transfer window. But instead

Berbatov was offloaded and the captain of a long standing rival club, Robin van Persie was signed.

He had just had his best season in a Arsenal shirt and he listened to the little boy screamingManchester United inside him and switched Arsenals 10 to Manchester Uniteds 20 and he signed in

by giving the statement, I want to win you the 20 th title and hence the number 20. It was not hard

for him to win over us, his goal scoring was that prolific. Great goals, great run of goals, late match

winning goals, comeback inspiring goals. He had them all. He was an instant hit and was compared to

King Eric. Poor Rooney came back unfit as always, and had an injury in only the second match of the

season and was out for about a month. That time was enough for Robin to make his mark. Rooney

was once again pushed off the perch of the teams talisman. This time for van Persie. Persie became

the focal point of our attack, the poster boy and he even toppled Wayne in the jersey sales. His goals

were highly applauded. Everyone talks about his stoppage time winner in the Manchester derby and

his sublime hat-trick against Aston Villa. But what everyone forgot was it was Rooney who scored the2 goals to give us a first half lead. No one talks about his raking cross field passes against Aston Villa

which lead to the first two goals and those against Cluj in the Champions League. He got taken off in

numerous occasions where he was clearly one of the better players going forward. None of us talk

about his impact in the second half of the home game against Tottenham. Ferguson says Wayne

Rooney on top form wouldnt be taken off. Id say Wayne Rooney on average form is still better than

many on our squad. Id say he cannot reach top form when he is played as a striker in one match, a

central midfielder in the next and is on the bench in the other. What does he do in the training? Does

he train to improve his passing and the movement in the midfield region or does he do the normal

strikers training. What else can you expect from a player who is not sure about his role in the team

other than clumsiness on the ball and yet, he is still better than most players behind may be just ahandful. Rooney is capable of taking a shoot from 30 yards out but now he is unable to decide

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whether he has to take a shoot or try to setup another team up. Like many say, his versatility is his

curse.

Two times when central midfield has been the need of the hour, a new striker has been brought in

and in order to accommodate all of them, it has been Wayne Rooney who was moved all over the

pitch. I dont find it surprising in him asking for a transfer or for assurance over his role in the team.

Messi once said, Rooney would even play for 100k euros a week, such is his love for the game. For

me, that is true. Rooney would play anywhere for the team, but that would eventually anger his well -

wishers and his family and it must on their persuasion that he went to the extent of asking for a

transfer. Wayne Rooney isnt just about goals. He isnt the poster boy that would make girls go

haywire like Ronaldo. He is bald and that recent hair transplant isntfar from average. He isnt the

technical genius like Robin. What he brings to the team apart from the goals cannot be caught on

YouTube videos and banners. All of us want Ronaldo to return and Robin to score in every single

match. We sing and cry for the Ronaldos and Robins. Master Wayne is taken for granted. He will play

anywhere for the team, he loves the game and he loves the club. He will do all on his own. Isnt it?

We have never given him the support that he deserves. If it is true that Antonio Valencia referred to

Messi as the best, Ronaldo as an inspiration and Rooney as the heartbeat of Manchester United, Id

dare to say on similar grounds thatHes the hero we deserve, but the not the hero we need right

now. We ignore him. Because he can take it. A dark knight. It has been the case always, except for

those two seasons in which he set the pitch on fire with his goals. Ah, and what bad luck the boy has,

we didnt win the league in exactly those two seasons.

Maybe he can take it no more. Maybe he had had enough. I have not seen any other player kissing

the badge on the jersey with more vigour and love than you did. He stays or leaves, I wish Wayne

Rooney plays for a team where hed have a last chance at reaching the promised lands as a teenager.

May be its too late now to become the White Pele that he was introduced to the world as, but he canstill become the white knight of the team hed play for. Glory Glory Manchester United.