Wayne Rooney left for the Nike Headquarters in America on Saturday, which clearly suggests that his Manchester United career is still hanging in the balance.
It has been well-documented that there is a virus going through the United squad, and it is very likely that the effected players are kept away from the rest of them to prevent it from becoming even worse.
Well, Rooney’s week’s vacation to the States is another way of getting quarantining the other virus that has hit Old Trafford recently, because since his intentions were revealed by Ferguson he has not spent much time with his teammates.
Before this little retreat, Rooney also spent a few days in sunny Dubai getting sun while his teammates combated the cold temperatures in England and Europe, but it ultimately kept him and his infectious behavior away from the United training ground.
So could this just part of Ferguson’s plan to offload him in either the winter or summer transfer windows?
The United supporters would be very foolish to think that Sir Alex has honestly revealed his cards before the final card was dealt, because that is something that the Gaffer has never done – and never would do!
This saga has gone very quiet – almost too quiet – and the United performances have reaped the benefits of that because they have reeled off five victories since the supposed conclusion of this debacle on Friday, October 22.
Like in life, the only thing in football that is certain is uncertainty, and one would be ill-advised if they though that United was liberated from this saying as well.
The players have done an admirable job coping with the stresses and pressures to extend their current unbeaten streak to 24 matches, but they do not have any off-the-field distractions to deal with anymore.
This is far from over, though.
Like it or not, Ferguson has been crossed, and the witty Scot has, and never will, forgive a player for doing what Rooney has done to him or the success and history he has built.
To question the ambition of the most successful managers in the history of the sport is not only disrespectful, but courageous to say the least.
Rooney has always been outspoken, which has often got him into trouble on the pitch, but his complete lack of respect has cost him dearly off of it now.
The total disregard for all of the adoring supporters, who have never once doubted him before Ferguson’s broke the news prior to the Bursaspor match on October 20 – even when an entire nation turned their backs on him following his disgraceful, unenthused performance at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Now, the sucker punch he gave those loyal supporters has knocked off their red-colored blinders, and they see Rooney for what he has always been – an egotistical, thoughtless punk.
Thankfully, United have a manager who cares enough about the club he works for to handle this situation with maturity and intelligence – which are two words that could ever be used to describe Rooney.
A lot of rumors must be circulating that the meeting between David Gill, Paul Stretford, Rooney and Ferguson could have been a sign-and-trade, so United can get top dollar for him.
It would not be at all surprising if there was personal terms already in place between Rooney and his potential employers, but Sir Alex more than likely said that it would be over his dead body before he would sell – unless United got his true worth in return.
This clearly meant that Rooney would have either have to sign a long-term deal with United, which he did by signing agreeing to a five-year deal, before Ferguson forced him to play in the Reserves for the next 20 months while letting his current contract run out.
The look on his face following the conclusion of the meetings did not sit well with some of the supporters, because he had a phony, half-wit smile on his face.
This sabbatical that he is probably enjoying at Nike HQs is more than likely because of a clause in the agreement that was to prevent him from playing against City – similar to the gentleman’s agreement with Tim Howard and Everton in 2006.
Carrington has similar, if not better, training facilities and physios than the corporate facility of Nike’s campus has, and to think that the top tabloids are not sending their media people there to spy is quite laughable.
The majority of the true supporters have already written him off as a Manchester United player, and it would take him an awful lot to regain their trust and respect, so Rooney might just be better off leaving for another club sooner rather than later.
The supporters stated and showed their disbelief and new-found hatred for their former talisman, by chanting “YSB!” and having different banners about his comments regarding the club that they love.
Ferguson said it was those two things that really woke his ignorant self up to how he was going to be received by the United supporters, but it should have never come to that, though.
Rooney saw and heard first-hand just how much distaste they had for Carlos Tevez following his highly-discussed move across the city to Manchester City.
Unless he is completely disjointed from reality, which is what has been happening in the last couple of weeks by Ferguson, then those sights and sounds should have hit home and rung a bell in his thick skull so he would never think of doing such a thing.
The honest supporters know that Rooney, like most modern-day players, is very skillful, but lacks courtesy and common sense in these types of situations.
If this does happen, the supporters cannot be upset at Ferguson, because he has always acted with the best interest of the club at heart, and this circumstance is no different.
Conversely, Ferguson should be praised for putting this sham of a situation to an early bed, because it was not only effecting the team’s performances on the field, but for also holding City and Rooney ransom to get what he thinks is fair-market value for the out-of-sorts striker.
Hopefully this conspiracy theory is just that and not writing on the wall, because all of the implications and facts are there to make one believe that Wayne Rooney has played his last game for Manchester United.
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