Wayne can feel the love

Posted Tuesday, May 28, 2013 by The Sun

SIGN OF THE FUTURE ... Rooney meets a young fan at England training

WHEN Wayne Rooney turns his sights to Ireland and Brazil this week, he’ll feel like a kid in a sweetshop.

All the pressure he has been under off the pitch will disappear the minute that whistle goes.

You all know my opinion about what’s happened at Manchester United — that it was the club trying to force him out, rather than him asking to go.

It was interesting to see a few more with the same opinion last week, by the way.

But when they were claiming he wanted out, Wayne basically had to sit and suffer.

After all, one man can hardly take on the mighty machine which is United, if there’s an agenda on their part.

Throw in the fact his missus Coleen was in the last stages of pregnancy and it’s been a really stressful time for the guy.

And don’t forget we are talking about a young man here, not a piece of meat.

That’s why he will be delighted to be in the England camp, a chance to feel the love as it were, and to get back to doing what he does better than most – playing football. As players, the loudest statement you can make is out on the pitch.

And, with all due respect to Ireland, there are few better teams to do it against than Brazil in their own backyard.

OK, the current side may not be the greatest they have had but you perform against Brazil and the world takes notice.

I’m sure the people who matter at the likes of Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal and all the others linked with Wayne will be watching closely.

I tell you now, I’d love nothing better than to see him have a truly stellar game, to say, ‘I might be having a rough time of it but here’s what I can do’. I wouldn’t bet against him either.

Remember all the fuss over his last contract talks, when United claimed he wanted to go. What did Rooney do?

He had an unbelievable second half of the season, scored arguably the greatest winning goal ever in a Manchester derby, helped United to the title and scored in the Champions League final.

Let’s be honest, there would be no shortage of takers if Wayne was to leave Old Trafford, which I guess could still happen if he feels the club want rid of him.

But I really hope David Moyes sits down with him after the England games and tells him, ‘Let’s sort this out and go on to great things together’.

Wayne certainly doesn’t want to go through another season with all those amateur psychologists out there having an opinion on something they’re hearing second hand or know nothing about.

Wayne has obviously bitten his tongue when he could easily have turned it into a public row.
So fair play to him for that, he’s acted with a lot of dignity by keeping his head down.

But it really wouldn’t surprise me to see him hogging all the headlines again soon for one of those special moments on the pitch that few men do better.
So happy for pals

CRYSTAL PALACE are back! And I couldn’t be happier for everyone at my old club.

Yesterday’s play-off triumph had me thinking of my days down there in the late 1980s and what a fantastic time it was. It’s been a tough old time for Palace recently, so it’s great to see them in the Premier League again. Now the hard work begins...

I’m sure being in the top flight will help them attract that extra bit of experience which could prove vital.

It won’t be easy but all that’s for another day... let’s enjoy the moment and I’ll be raising a glass to my old pals.

DON’T forget my four-day London-Paris charity bike ride starting on June 6 to help raise funds for Leukaemia and Lymphoma research.