United lack ambition – Rooney
‘Gill did not give me any assurances I was seeking’
Wayne Rooney has accused Manchester United of lacking ambition.
Twenty-four hours after Alex Ferguson’s devastating attack on his star striker, Rooney entered the fray. In confirming he wishes to leave the Red Devils, the 24-year-old outlined why his future lies away from Old Trafford.
Ferguson claimed not to have an answer on Tuesday.
Yesterday, Rooney placed the Glazer family right in the spotlight, revealing that he asked for assurances from United chief executive David Gill in August about potential signings as he was concerned about the direction the club was heading in.
Last week, having been left completely unimpressed, the final blow was delivered.
“It is absolutely true that my agent and I have had a number of meetings with the club about a new contract,” he said.
“During those meetings in August I asked for assurances about the continued ability of the club to attract the top players in the world. I met with David Gill last week 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.”
Rooney will hope his comments take away the stigma of greed which Ferguson raised with his own devastating attack.
They will certainly strike a chord with those Manchester United fans opposed to the Glazer regime, who have constantly campaigned against the huge levels of debt the Americans in-curred with their hugely leveraged buyout.
The problem for United’s anti-Glazer faction – and now Rooney it seems – is that the money remains unspent at a time when United are haemorrhaging star players. Although both Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez departed in the summer of 2009, United failed to attract world-class replacements.
When it was anticipated Ferguson would make major signings this summer following the loss of his side’s Premier League title, the Red Devils again limited their spending.
Rooney was left to conclude that United were no longer the club to be at, especially as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Edwin van der Sar and Gary Neville are all nearing the end of their careers.
The same is also true of Ferguson, who will celebrate his 69th birthday on New Year’s Eve.
Respect to the boss
The one sliver of comfort for Ferguson is that Rooney has used this opportunity to dispel once and for all, the claim that he no longer respects his boss.
“I have never had anything but complete respect for MUFC. How could I not have done given its’ fantastic history and especially the last six years in which I have been lucky to play a part?” he said.
“Despite recent difficulties, I know I will always owe Sir Alex a huge debt.
“He is a great manager... for Manchester United’s sake I wish he could go on forever because he’s a one-off and a genius.”