Wayne Rooney will stay at Manchester United - Ferguson
Last updated on .From the section Football
Sir Alex Ferguson has promised that Wayne Rooney will still be a Manchester United player next season.
The England striker, 27, was dropped by Ferguson for Tuesday's round of 16 tie second leg with Danny Welbeck preferred.
This led to widespread reports in that the England striker would be sold by United in the summer.
"He'll be here next year," Ferguson said. "You can have my word on that."
Ferguson was also speaking for the first time about Nani's controversial sending off in the 3-2 aggregate loss to Madrid. "This is the third time we've been knocked out by the referee's decision, it's not easy to take," he said.
Rooney, who reportedly earns £250,000 a week, had been linked with a transfer to a number of clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain.
But Ferguson said: "There is no issue between myself and Wayne Rooney. To suggest we don't talk is nonsense.
"He understood the reasons completely. Tactically we got it right. We don't always but we did then.
"Welbeck is the best player we have in terms of operating a double role. We had to chalk out Xabi Alonso's ability to control the game, which he did, and also his ability to go further forward as an attacking player.
"I left out Shinji Kagawa after he scored a hat-trick. I thought I would get more stick for that."
Ferguson, who revealed he had banned The Daily Mail and The Independent newspapers "until they apologise" for the Rooney story, said the striker would be involved against Chelsea in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday.
However, he declined to say if he would start.
"Why should I help anyone by telling them my team? We don't do that," Ferguson said. "But Wayne does need a lot of football. He has always been that type."
Rooney has scored 14 goals this season from 24 starts and five substitute appearances. According to statisticians Opta, his scoring and assist rate of 0.92 per Premier League/Champions League game is equal to his best-ever season.
The United manager had declined to speak to the media immediately after the Real Madrid game
On the touchline he appeared furious at Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir for sending off Nani for a high challenge on Real's Alvaro Arbeloa on 56 minutes. At that point United were leading 1-0 through Sergio Ramos's own goal. Within 13 minutes United were 2-1 down.
"It is hard to keep your faith when you have things like that," Ferguson said.
"But in the cold light of day, we have to get on with it. Nothing can be done. This is another day in the history of our club - not a good day, but a day.
"We must galvanise the troops and our support: we owe them a good performance on Sunday.
"It's a quarter-final tie, it's at home and I always say if it is at home we're happy."
Cakir has sent off seven players from English teams, but never one against them.
"I was concerned. I said that to my staff," Ferguson added. "I had a big worry about it but it is gone now. There is nothing we can do about it."
Uefa is for Ferguson's "non-fulfilment of post-match media obligations" at Old Trafford, as well as the fact that the required two players did not talk the media.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini said he did not think Rooney would leave United in the summer.
"I think that Rooney is one of the best strikers in Europe but I think it is difficult he can leave Man United - I don't think [so]," said the Italian.
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There are other clubs in English football.
Regards
A wolves fan.
I hope you feel pathetic once again for writing such rubbish yesterday on this site.
But that happens quite a lot doesn't it?
Cakir has now sent off seven players from English teams, but never one against them.
makes you think eh ?
Here's a possible headline example:
"Ferguson Leaves Old Trafford"
A frenzy is whipped up but when you read the article it would just be about Fergie leaving his office for home at the end of his normal working day.
They should be trying to sell crap on QVC.
No Player is worth half that amount per week.
The Fans are stupid paying high Ticket prices.
Stay away for 4 weeks and you will see Ticket prices fall. It is that easy and not hard to work out.
Football used to be a working mans game.
Over paid players loving what they do for silly money now.
What's that - 8 threads in a row about 1 game with Man U and the aftermath, all saying the same thing but pretending to be different stories? 10 thousand comments provoked by BBC garbage journalism. I think it's time official complaints started flooding in about the awful online football service.
An e-petition may have to be started....
Tactical error to leave him on the bench IMO.
Just being out of Europe is just collateral in hindsight to winning the premiership alas. And I would never talk to the arrogant plankton, but genuine Man u fans in manchester, who respect football, and notice when their players go too far, not blindly following, I support you in this.
There was absolutely no evidence to suggest ANY rift between Rooney and SAF. This story only came about because Rooney was dropped. Rooney was dropped for TACTICAL reasons, which worked very well until Nani was sent off.
There were 6 other benched players, are they leaving too?
I rest my case
Will you tabloids ever change in this country.
You'd have to question whether any of them were actually watching the first half, Utd were all over them until Nani's red, (warranted or not).
Anyone else gets benched, even RvP, and not a word but they know the name "Rooney" sells more papers when he's not scoring than when he is.
UK Media hype is pathetic and shameful
revisionism of the highest order
there is no guarantee we would have gone through but after 75% of the tie we were ahead and in the ascendancy. the Real players and manager were humble enough to acknowledge that themselves
So the fact that he took them to two champions league titles is not good enough for your standards?
Your name is very apt, doing a great job of blending in with the other idiots.