United denies plans to sell Rooney

Posted Monday, October 18, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

MANCHESTER, England (AP)—Manchester United dismissed reports Sunday that Wayne Rooney will be sold in the January transfer window—a scenario that seemed unthinkable just two months ago but that now is the focus of rampant speculation.

After the Sunday Mirror reported that Rooney wants to leave United in January after talks over a new contract collapsed, the club responded by saying: “To suggest Wayne Rooney will be sold in January is nonsense.”

Manager Alex Ferguson fueled talk of a rift with Rooney by demoting him to the bench for Saturday’s match against West Bromwich Albion.

And Rooney was ineffective when came on for last 20 minutes of the Premier League match that saw United squander a two-lead to draw 2-2.

Ferguson’s relationship with Rooney has been in the spotlight since allegations about Rooney’s private life surfaced last month.

Rooney didn’t play the first United game after he was alleged to have cheated on his wife with a prostitute, with Ferguson saying that he was sparing the player from abuse at former club Everton.

But Rooney missed several more games which, according to Ferguson, was due to an ankle injury.

Rooney, however, directly contradicted Ferguson’s claims on Tuesday when he told reporters after England’s match against Montenegro that he hadn’t been struggling with any injuries recently.

Ferguson wasn’t asked about Rooney’s absence in broadcast interviews on Saturday and the 68-year-old Scot is the only Premier League manager who always refuses to attend post-match news conferences.

Ferguson, who has also canceled all pre-match media conferences in recent weeks, will have to face reporters on Tuesday ahead of a Champions League match against Bursaspor due to UEFA rules.