Manchester United are set to offer Wayne Rooney a staggering £300,000 per week to stay at the club. Manager David Moyes has often been known as the ‘safety first’ kind of man, but he’s proving here that he’s willing to take risks, with a contract this size set to cost the club over £75 million in the next 4 years. This comes after the club record signing of Juan Mata was confirmed yesterday for £37 million, but this story is finally showing that Moyes is ready to step out of the shadow of former manager Sir Alex Ferguson. Many believe that, by now, Ferguson would have let Rooney leave the club by now, but Moyes is adamant on keeping his man. Moyes knew Rooney as a kid while they were both at Everton, and gave him his Premier League debut at just 16, before falling out with him after comments made in Rooney’s autobiography. However, it’s obvious that it’s all behind them now. Kevin Kilbane was at Everton during the Moyes-Rooney era, and says that Moyes’ man-management skills are a lot better than what many people would suspect,
“In the heat of the moment he would tell a player quite bluntly that he wasn’t performing, but if he ever did that he would call that player into his office on Monday moring and explain, even apologise if he’d felt he had been too harsh or singled any player out.”
United will be keen to pin Rooney down to a new contract with Chelsea sniffing around, and with Rooney’s recent troubled history with United (the transfer request, putting off contract talks, flirtations with Chelsea and Arsenal) United will want to make sure that they know where his future lies soon. United’s strongest advantage is that there is still 18 months left on his contract, so in their eyes clubs like Chelsea and Real Madrid can offer whatever they like, but without United’s consent Rooney can’t start earning it until 4 months before his 30th birthday.
United’s rebirth is not just about Rooney, however. The signing of Juan Mata has proven that United are serious about turning things around, and Moyes has even bigger plans for the summer.
By Ben Kelly
