Manchester United were concerned that he would swap United for City
The hierarchy at Manchester United were concerned that he would swap United for City, so offered him a bumper new deal in 2010. Manchester United handed Wayne Rooney a deal in 2010, after it emerged that he wanted to leave Old Trafford, in favour of a switch to Manchester City.
That is according to a former spokesman for the Glazer family, with Tehsin Nayani claiming that there was a growing concern that he would depart for United’s fierce cross-city rivals.
Nayani described “a growing resignation among the club’s hierarchy” that Rooney was “on his way out to join Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City”
Five-years ago, in the October of 2010, the England captain made it clear that he was not happy at the Red Devils, and questioned the ambition of the club, following the departures of both Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, and Carlos Tevez to Manchester City, the year before.
However, Rooney has since stated that he never wished to join the Citizens, United moved swiftly to cater for Rooney’s demands, by tying the forward down to a contract worth £200,000 a-week.
Since the events of the Autumn of 2010, Rooney, aged 29, of course has gone onto sign a deal with over £300,00 a-week, once again, he previously revealed his discontent at Manchester United, before earning a deal in the spring of 2014, in an attempt to detract potential suitors off Rooney as a transfer target.
Outside influences?
Former Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, believes that Rooney was manipulated by outside could have potentially been manipulated by external commercial partners, or sources.
Ferguson referenced the event in his own autobiography, by stating:
“I felt he’d been programmed in what he was trying to say,” Ferguson wrote. “The basis of his complaint was that we were not sufficiently ambitious.”
by Ben Reardon
