The best thing for Manchester United may be just to let Wayne Rooney move on.
So far United and David Moyes have maintained the official stance that Rooney is not for sale, rejecting two bids from Chelsea for the forward as they look to head into the new season with largely the same squad that won the league last time round.
Rooney’s issue with United seems to be his status and the way he’ll be used heading into the new season, with the forward wanting assurances that he’ll be a primary striker alongside Robin van Persie at the club.
However, van Persie’s productiveness in his first season at Old Trafford means right now, Moyes is only going to choose the Dutchman when he needs a sole striker to put ahead of a five man midfield.
Fresh reports following news of Chelsea’s second bid for United suggest that Rooney is facing a rift or stand-offs in the dressing room at Old Trafford, with several players thought to be livid with the way he’s behaved throughout the affair.
If there is any basis of truth in those reports then it’s important for Moyes to get on top of the problem straight away, especially if he still has aspirations of keeping Rooney at United and using him next season.
Football has been laced with examples in the past where dressing rooms have been divided, making it impossible for a manager to get the best out of his team and that’s not something that Moyes can allow to happen.
He can’t allow it to happen because the challenge he faces this season is huge. Manchester City have tooled up, vastly improving their squad while Chelsea have a very realistic chance of winning the title.
United can’t afford for one player in the current squad to take a lazy or haphazard approach into the new season. In effect, Moyes can’t have one player who does not want to be at the club in the new campaign.
There is also the issue of whether United will ever get a better offer for Rooney if they do keep him beyond the summer.
They’ve knocked back a bid of £30 million from Chelsea which means any third offer is likely to be in the region of £35-40 million and that’s a price that United would be well advised to snap up if Moyes sees the situation as untenable.
Rooney is probably at his peak right now being 27-years-old. However, he’ll soon have to encounter his early 30s and whether he still has the explosiveness he showed during his early 20s is debatable.
Make no mistake about the fact that a United team is better with Rooney in it than without him. However, his presence is now apparently creating problems with other players and that’s something which cannot be allowed to spiral out of control.
Do you think it’s time for United to let him go? How should Moyes handle a split dressing room?
image: © nasmac
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