[attach id=258999 size="medium"]A child holds a sign with a message for Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney. Photo: Reuters/Darren Staples[/attach]

There seems to be a growing consensus among Manchester United fans that one of David Moyes’ most urgent jobs when he takes over next month is to persuade Wayne Rooney to stay.

The players handed in a transfer request toward the end of last season and even missed Sir Alex Ferguson’s final games as he was not in the ‘right frame of mind’ to play football.

But rather than persuade Rooney not to go, I would suggest Moyes needs to be doing the exact opposite. In fact, when he officially takes over at Old Trafford his first task should be identifying a suitable replacement for Rooney and then selling the player to the highest bidder.

Because I honestly believe both the club and the player would benefit from an amicable parting of ways.

I won’t for one second suggest Rooney has been a failure in Manchester. His record at the club speaks for itself, as does the number of titles and trophies he has won during his United career.

Yet recently, his form has been patchy. In fact, I would go as far as saying that last season he often gave the impression he was just going through the motions on the pitch.

Having an out-of-form, disinterested and lacklustre player in the squad is of little use. On the other hand, Rooney would command a huge transfer fee

It was almost as if he had not only lost some of his love for the club but even some of his love for the game itself. And when that happens, the only thing likely to rekindle the desire to play football is a fresh challenge at a fresh club.

There is the possibility, of course, that the managerial change at Old Trafford alone may be enough to create a revitalised Rooney. But considering the player and his new manager had a dodgy relationship when they were together at Everton, I doubt Moyes is the right man to help the England striker rediscover his passion for the game.

From the club’s perspective, having an out-of-form, disinterested and lacklustre player in the squad is of little use. On the other hand, Rooney would command a huge transfer fee, and that would be of use; especially considering United’s midfield needs a serious overhaul.

So all in all, it might be for the best if Rooney and United say their goodbyes sooner rather than later.

However, despite some of the rumours doing the rounds, I severely doubt he will go to another Premier League club. The only way United would contemplate letting him join the likes of Chelsea or Arsenal would be if they were incredibly desperate for money. And that they aren’t.

Paris Saint-Germain is a much more likely destination or, alternatively, maybe a swap deal for either Cristiano Ronaldo or Cesc Fabregas, two players who are being linked with moves to Old Trafford this summer.

Having said that, Rooney is anything but predictable. The last time he handed in a transfer request, not only did he not leave, he ended up signing a longer contract.

But that was when Sir Alex was running the club, the man who has pretty much been Rooney’s mentor for the vast majority of his senior career.

Somehow I feel the outcome is going to be very different with Moyes on the other side of the negotiating table… a sad and emotional parting of ways that will nevertheless leave both parties better off.

Advert of the week

There can be only one winner of this rarely awarded title: travel company Teletext Holidays.

The English firm ran an advert on the electronic hoardings during the England vs Brazil game last week with the words “Desperate to get away like Wayne?” – a cheeky reference to Mr Rooney’s request to leave Old Trafford.

Nice one.

Everton’s managerial gamble

In some ways, Everton have taken a gamble in appointing Roberto Martinez as Moyes’ successor.

I appreciate that the Spaniard may have kept Wigan Athletic in the Premier League for the past few seasons against the odds. And I equally wouldn’t underestimate his achievement in winning the FA Cup.

However, the fact of the matter is he ultimately got his team relegated, which will have been the one thing his chairman told him not to do before the season started.

So in a way, Everton are rewarding failure by not only offering Martinez a route back into the top flight but at a club significantly bigger than the one he just took down to the Championship.

However, the counter argument to that is that in many ways, Martinez overachieved at Wigan. They started each season as favourites to go down, sold their best players on a regular basis and played most of their matches in front of a half-empty stadium.

When you look at what Martinez was up against and the incredibly limited resources he had to work with, it is a miracle he was able to fight off relegation for so long. On that basis, maybe he has earned himself a bigger job.

Under Moyes, Everton became reliable. While they rarely challenged for a top four finish, they were pretty much always assured of a top-half finish.

And that sort of dependability is the very least the club and its fans will expect from Martinez.

As I said, there is an element of a gamble about this appointment. But then again, Everton are not averse to the odd gamble. Let’s not forget that Moyes was a Championship-level manager with no Premiership experience when he got the Goodison Park job.

Hopefully for Everton, this appointment will work out just as well as that one.

Luis the lonely

Normally, when one of the world’s most talented players issues a ‘come and get me’ plea, the club at which he is batting his eyelashes springs into action.

However, despite Luis Suarez saying he wants to leave Liverpool and subtly hinting he might not be averse to the idea of playing for Real Madrid, the Spanish club has not exactly come running to sweep the striker off his feet.

To be fair, they have had other things on their mind, like the fact they don’t actually have a manager now, for example. But even so, I would still have expected some sort of reaction from the Spanish giants if they were excited by the prospect of signing the Uruguayan. At least a standard denial.

Maybe buying a player with a history of racism, diving and biting opponents is not top of their agenda. Especially after Liverpool slapped a £50 million (€59m) price tag on their want-away forward.

What irritates me most about Suarez (and there are plenty of contenders for that particular title) is the fact that he is blaming media attention for his decision to leave Anfield when, at best, it is only part of the reason.

Are we to believe that the opportunity of playing regular Champions League football and the chance to significantly increase his salary are factors that played absolutely no part in his decision?

Of course they are. And you would have to be a fool to think otherwise. Blaming the paparazzi for driving him out of the Premier League was just an ultra-convenient excuse.

Liverpool have, understandably, issued the traditional “our player is not for sale” statement in the wake of Suarez’s comments. But privately they will know that keeping an unhappy player around the club is going to have a negative effect on the team as a whole.

Which means that even if Real Madrid reject Suarez’s advances, the chances are he will move somewhere over the course of the summer.

I would say we have seen the last of Suarez in the Premier League. And, despite his talent, I for one won’t be sorry to see him go.

I just wonder if all those Liverpool fans who gave me grief for criticising Suarez last season can now see him for the sort of person he really is…

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade