Quote:
Originally Posted by Russ
My money is this all being a work from day 1. Rooney wanting to leave as far back as August would have been picked up by the press. I reckon this is all a ploy by SAF to manipulate the media and divert attention away from Rooney's extra-matrimonial hat-tricks. SAF is the master of mind games and working the media is part of that. I'm convinced there was never any intentions of him leaving. He's got the deal everyone expected him to sign and suddenly people are concentrating on his performances on the pitch instead of in some brothel.
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Well clearly not.
For a start there is no way that he, the club, or Rooney would have wanted things to get this far. Rooney's image has been damaged in the last week amongst United's own fans and while the spin to rehabilitate him has already started (it was his agent, he was only concerned about the future of the club) it should be remembered that it was Rooney's people who gave the nod for the 'Rooney leaving' stories at the start of the week and he gave the statement on Wednesday.
The affair story had been lost already, to suddenly flare an issue up months later makes no sense. The media may well have known last August, in fact they enquired about a rumored move to City, but both club and agent denied this and the press didn't run with it.
I am not sure if this was a spectacularly ill-conceived contract negotiation attempt, or he wanted to move to City but was taken aback by the reaction.