Man United fans won't forgive Roo a second time, Wayne

Posted Wednesday, July 03, 2013 by The Sun

WAYNE ROONEY has blown it with the Manchester United fans for trying to quit the club for a second time.

Mike Phelan believes the Red Devils striker has pushed the patience of the Old Trafford faithful too far.

Rooney first asked for a move in October 2010 and Alex Ferguson revealed after his final home game in charge that he had dropped the striker because he had demanded to leave again.

Phelan, who was Fergie’s assistant manager and also left the club this summer. said “You can put the first one down to inexperience but the second one is putting yourself right out there.”

Many United fans would be happy to let Rooney go now, especially after an indifferent season.

Ferguson dropped him after the first game, an away defeat to Everton. He also left him out of the starting line-up for the Champions League last-16 second-leg tie against Real Madrid.

Man United fans won't forgive Roo a second time, Wayne

Phelan, 50, added: “He might have hit a blip in certain performances but he isn’t the first or last player to have done that.

“You have to nurse them through it and hopefully he responds to that.

“Sometimes you have to crack the whip with him.”

And Phelan, who played at United from 1989 to 1994 and became assistant manager in 2008, simply cannot understand why Rooney seems intent on throwing away his legacy and future at United.

He said: “Why would you want to jeopardise what you’ve got? An exciting future might be in front of you.

“He is already at a top, top club. There isn’t a lot for him to go out and grasp.”

Rooney, who claims he never asked for a move in May, first wanted to leave United in 2010 after claiming the club lacked ambition.

And Phelan, who is now looking to go into management himself, recalled: “Every player is entitled to express a desire to want to move on. Any player can do that at any time.

“In Wayne’s case, in the first instance, he took a lot of advice and got steered towards that call but the manager was terrific.

“He talked to him and asked why would he want to leave the club. The Press conference Sir Alex gave was a bit of a tear-jerker and it was genuine.”

Now Phelan believes any talks between Moyes and Rooney should be one-to-one.

He said: “I think he would want to talk to Wayne Rooney and just Wayne Rooney.”

Rooney is due back at the Carrington training ground today but whether he will go on United’s Far East pre-season tour next week is another matter.