WAYNE ROONEY last night told Manchester United
he will stay for as long as he is wanted at Old Trafford.
The England striker has had a difficult start to the season with
question marks hanging over his working relationship with
manager Alex Ferguson.
He is currently sidelined by a deep cut to his right thigh and
faces a battle to regain his starting spot when he returns.
But Rooney, 26, says he would be happy to finish his career at
United and is targeting another decade with the Red Devils.
The former Everton hero said: “Could I be here another 10 years? I hope so.
“As long as I’m wanted here then I will be a Manchester United player.
“Obviously I had that situation a couple of years ago but
made it clear very quickly that I had made a mistake.
“As long as people want me to be a United player, then that is what I’ll be.
“Hopefully that will be for a long time.
“It’s a great club and, let’s be honest, where else can you
go from this club? It’s the biggest team in the world.”
Rooney only needs to look around the United dressing room to
see how he can extend his career with United for as long as possible.
He said: “You just look at Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes and
how successful they’ve been — they’re an example to us all.
“That’s the idea of the plan and hopefully that will be the case.”
Rooney’s terrible day against Fulham last month started with
him being left on the bench — and then ended with him in
hospital with stitches in his leg.
Although there were fears that he could be out for a long period
after suffering a horror cut just above his right knee, Rooney
could be back later THIS MONTH.
But with the arrival of Robin van Persie, Rooney accepts he will
no longer be an automatic selection if Ferguson has all four of his strikers fit.
But he is ready for the battle with RVP, Danny Welbeck and
Javier Hernandez as United aim to win back the title from neighbours City.
He said: “You can’t assume you are going to play.
“But I’ve always worked very hard to make sure the
manager has got to play me.
“I’ve had this injury setback but I am working hard in the gym
to make sure that when I’m told it’s OK to return, then I’ll be back.
“Competition is great for us all. We’re all fighting to
get into the team and score goals.
“It’s great for the manager and we all must make sure we give
the manager the headache he wants in one way but doesn’t in another.”
With tension between Ferguson and Rooney, some fans
were concerned there may be a repeat of October 2010 on the cards.
Back then, the striker sensationally asked to leave Old Trafford
before withdrawing his request and signing a new deal.
He was also dropped from United’s squad for the New Year’s Day
clash with Blackburn last season and fined £200,000 for going
out for a Boxing Day meal with wife Coleen, joining team-mates
Jonny Evans and Darron Gibson and their partners too.
Rooney hopes the goals he has scored since have gone some way
to repairing his relationship with club, manager and fans.
He said: “It’s an episode I’m not proud of but it has helped me
because it has given me great desire and hunger to
be more successful at this club.
“I realised quite quickly and told them I had made a mistake
and wanted to put it right and within 12 hours I had signed the new contract.
“They brought me back into the team and the club and,
from then on, I knew I had to repay the faith they had shown me.
“I think since then I have scored a lot of goals for the club and the fans.
“I know they must have been disappointed with what happened
but they have been fantastic with me since.
“Just watching and working with someone like the boss,
who has done it so many times and continues to do it, with
that desire and winning mentality, is incredible to be part of.”
Once Rooney is fit again he can set about trying to reclaim the
Premier League crown from City and erase the memory of that
final-day title heartache last season.
The United star admits he is still haunted by the sight of Sergio Aguero
scoring the decisive goal deep into stoppage-time against QPR at the Etihad.
He said: “I’ve tried not to watch it since but I’m sick of
seeing Aguero’s goal. It is everywhere.
“When we’ve won league titles I’ve never seen a goal replayed
so many times. I just have to put it on mute now.
“But when we came back I could sense and feel a great determination
in the squad and a great energy in the dressing room to try
and win that title back.
“We all have to make sure we’re in it together and we can do
that. We have lost titles in the past very closely.
“We’ve lost to Chelsea by one point. That was hard enough itself
but to lose to City on the last day on goal difference was horrible.”
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