Rooney contemplates United exit

Wayne Rooney has reportedly shunned contract negotiations with Manchester United and privately admitted his willingness to cross the Mancunian border and join the blue revolution following a monumental breakdown in relations with Sir Alex Ferguson.

United must now gauge Rooney’s market value and decide whether to sell him during the winter transfer window or wait until the summer when the strikers value may have dwindled. Conversely Ferguson may seek to repair the acrimony that has festered in recent weeks since Rooney’s private life became tabloid fodder.

The damage though is allegedly irreparable and unlike previous falling’s out involving United icons, it is the player who might have the final say and not Ferguson.

Things are said to have soured between the two in the wake of reports in national newspapers of Rooney’s affair with the prostitute Jennifer Thompson. Ferguson reportedly blamed his striker for bringing his club into disrepute before omitting him from the side that travelled to Everton, on the grounds of the “vile” abuse Rooney would receive, and Valencia due to a persistent ankle injury suffered last season in Munich.

Or so Ferguson said. What has transpired since is that Rooney may have been left out of the squad, like he was left out of the starting XI on Saturday, as punishment for his off-pitch behaviour and his blatant contradiction of Ferguson’s assertion that he was injured during an interview.

This, coupled with United’s staggeringly sluggish and, according to Rooney’s camp, underwhelming contract talks has created the perfect storm over Old Trafford.

The odds on Rooney leaving in January have been slashed to 2/1 but the suitors are limited to new football money with Manchester City and Chelsea potential buyers. The thought of Rooney, for most fans the quintessential talismanic leader, wearing the blue of City would be unbearable for most of the United faithful. But it would take the most short –sighted to rule it out. Rooney has after all already ditched Everton (“once a blue, always a blue”) for greater riches and success at United. Who says he will not do the same to the Manchester club like Carlos Tevez did last summer. Rooney may even look to Tevez as an example of the adoration and opportunities he would command.

Although Chelsea have become more prudent in more recent seasons a move for Rooney could be viable despite Abramovich’s remuneration and transfer fee ceiling. A potential stumbling block could be Rooney’s apparent reluctance to move away from the north: a factor that may render Real Madrid and Barcelona a undesirable destinations.

Where would this leave United? Ferguson has repeatedly stated his admiration for Rooney and how his desire fuels his own to continue at the helm. As loss such as this would therefore hurt Ferguson and consequently United. Who would the players look to for that decisive moment? Who would fans urge to beat everyone in front of them? The irony may be that Rooney, a player bought to succeed Van Nistelrooy, has no natural heir and this may be another reason why the striker seeks to ply his trade elsewhere, somewhere where the burden is less strenuous.

Indeed it has been rumoured that Rooney is concerned at the lack of quality players brought in and vision of the future at the club. Having won 6 major trophies at United and sitting unbeaten in the current season you must wonder quite what Rooney’s idea of a successful future is.

Sunderland 0-0 Manchester United: Match Report

Steve Bruce must wonder what he has to do to beat Manchester United. His Sunderland side fought hard and dominated play on Saturday but the former United captain left the Stadium of Light having failed to beat his former employers for the 16^th time as a manager. It’s unlikely Bruce will ever come as close.

Sunderland were up for this one. They challenged every loose ball and 50-50 with a pugnacious tenacity typified none-more so than by the magnificent Lee Cattermole. They created five goal scoring opportunities and had United on the ropes until Chris Foy’s whistle eliminated the chance of what would have been a knockout blow.

United put simply, were not at the races. They weren’t even in the paddock. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic looked uncomfortable throughout and had to rely on goalkeeper Edwin Van Der Sar to prevent the defenders’ blushes. Of all of the Black Cats’ chances, and the one Bruce would have rather fallen to Darren Bent and not Steed Malbranque saw the French midfielder squander a one-on-one with Van Der Sar. Malbranque out-ran Vidic and Ferdinand and onto a Cattermole pass but his shot was saved by the diving United keeper. Moments later Bouedewjin Zenden hit the outside of the post with a drive from outside of the box. United were rattled, Sunderland’s fans were raucous.

Going forward United were at their worst. So often a potent counter attacking side, it wasn’t until the second half that Ferguson’s side even had a shot on target. Michael Owen was given a rare start ahead of Dimitar Berbatov, partnering Frederico Macheda at the forefront of attack. Forty five minutes later Owen was withdrawn. His role for United will now surely be as a substitute and in cup matches against lesser teams before he heads down the M5 towards Birmingham and Gerard Houllier’s first team.

United’s midfield again seemed to be the weak link. Fletcher and, especially, Scholes were not given the commodities of time and space they have taken for granted in previous home matches and were stifled by the busy Cattermole.

Anderson was used on the left side of midfield and almost immediately provided another stymie for United’s midfield and John O’Shea. The Brazilian’s positional discipline was at best poor and worst potentially devastating, especially when leaving a vacuum behind him and exposing O’Shea to attacks. Saturday showed how Antonio Valencia’s injury has hampered United defensively as well as offensively.

In the second half United gained more possession but were foiled whenever they neared a position of any danger. Nani shot from far without threatening Mignolet in the Sunderland goal and Berbatov dragged a shot wide when he should have hit the target.

This was three points lost by Sunderland who have taken points from Arsenal, Liverpool and all three off of Manchester City. For United however it was a point that was barely deserved and clung onto.

Valencia 0-1 Manchester United: Match Report

Javier Hernandez fired Manchester United a late victory over Valencia last night in what was only Sir Alex Ferguson’s second win in 19 attempts against Spanish opposition in the Champions League.

The Mexican striker came off the substitute’s bench to fizz a left foot shot past Cesar Sanchez in the 85^th minute scoring his first European goal since his £7million arrival in the summer.

The result sends United top of group C joint with Rangers, who recorded their first win in the tournament in three seasons, and will in all likeliness qualify for the knockout stages with another four points.

Against a backdrop of industrial strikes over government cuts fans inside the Mestalla stadium – Iberian and sunburnt Mancunian’s alike - must have feared that Spanish austerity had manifested into their beloved football: this match threatened to never burst into live.

As is often the case away from Old Trafford in this tournament Ferguson preferred a five-man midfield with Dimitar Berbatov, whose rejuvenated finishing has been lethal in recent weeks, deployed as the lone striker in Wayne Rooney’s absence.

That Berbatov’s appearance marked his first start in the competition since CSKA Moscow in the corresponding stages last season shows how important the Bulgarian has become, especially as Rooney’s form evades him, to United. An early pot-strike from the Bulgarian was closer than either Sanchez or television angles seemed willing to accept.

As Valencia were without influential winger Joaquin, injured during training, the responsibility of carving open United, a hallmark of this summer’s World Cup winning Spanish side, fell to Pablo Hernandez. The midfielder was too often allowed space, afforded by the returning Michael Carrick and left-back Patrice Evra, and played a couple of bewitching balls across the penalty box.

The best chance of a lacklustre half fell, quite literally, to Roberto Solando. Hernandez outwitted Evra to play a ball that was subsequently spilled by Edwin Van Der Sar onto Solando’s head. The ball though dropped just over the net.

In the second half United shifted the ball with greater venom and purpose but it was only when Ferguson replaced the isolated Berbatov and ineffective Anderson with Frederico Macheda and Javier Hernandez that things clicked.

Almost immediately Darren Fletcher sought a lunging Hernandez who half-connected with a volley that struck the post. Both he and Macheda, preferred over the more natural poacher Michael Owen, linked for what would prove the decisive effort.

Macheda cutting into the box from the right passed into Hernandez who with his first touch guided the ball out of the defence’s way for him to find half a second to crash a shot into the bottom corner with his left foot.

United, confirming patterns discerned in the start to their season, were sub-standard and a better side may have punished their lack of midfield guile and defensive assuredness. Although Rio Ferdinand was given the opportunity to rekindle his partnership with Nemanja Vidic it will take time to form the sort of understanding that made them the best pairing in Europe two seasons ago.

Ferguson will also have to rely on better closing down and initiative from his midfield. Fletcher and Carrick were caught leaving large gaps in midfield for Valencia to waltz into and the pair didn’t manage test Sanchez a single time. There must be greater on-field cohesiveness between midfield and forward’s and a return of defensive astuteness if United are to reclaim their greatest prize.