Manchester United: Wayne Rooney Turns to Crest to Cement His Loyalty to Club

Wayne Rooney's wonderful looping header to open the scoring in Manchester United's FA Cup third-round fixture against hated crosstown rivals Manchester City left no chance for keeper Costel Pantilimon, but it was the native Liverpudlian's celebration that caught my attention.

Embraced by teammate Patrice Evra, Rooney made an immediate effort to pump at his Manchester United crest, placed fittingly enough on the left side of his jersey, just above his beating heart. The gesticulation seemed designed to show that the striker's very heart was, in fact, pumping reserves of passion for the club he joined back in 2004.

Why was Rooney making such a show of devotion? On Friday evening, reports had leaked that English newspaper The Independent was planning to release a sensational story on Saturday morning, alleging that Rooney was planning a move away from United in the January transfer window. Manchester City was listed as a possible destination, with a £60 million transfer deemed a real possibility.

Rooney wasted little time in issuing a response to the claim, saying there was absolutely no truth to the rumors. It was an effective answer, made all the more so because of the speed in which it was done.  There was precedent for The Independent to fall back upon where Rooney was concerned.

In October 2010, Rooney became heavily linked with a move away from United—again, with City as a rumored destination—after contract negotiations concerning an extension broke down over weekly wage demands.

Furor ensued. Manchester United fans took to demonstrating outside the star's house; the rumor mill was sent into overdrive. It seemed there was no way back.

In the end, United signed their star man—Rooney currently earns £250,000 a week—to a five-year deal, and all was well. As if to add emphasis to his loyalty to the Red Devils, Rooney scored that sensational overhead kick against (who else) City just weeks after the protracted contract debate had come to a close.

How quickly we forget, but how rapidly ugly memories can surge back to the fore.

It was to those 2010 contract negotiations that many people hearkened when those new rumors surfaced about Rooney being unsettled at United.

Whether there ever was any truth to the conjecture is up for debate. What we do know is that it certainly didn't affect Rooney's play on Sunday.

The England No. 10 has cut an embattled figure in recent weeks—The Independent's report aside—he did not feature, after all, against Blackburn Rovers last weekend in United's shock 2-3 defeat at Old Trafford.

Reports had surfaced then that Rooney and teammates Darron Gibson and Jonny Evans had drawn the considerable ire of manager Sir Alex Ferguson for a late night of partying ahead of that match against Blackburn. Ferguson had claimed his star hadn't "trained well" that week, citing "little strains here and there" for his star.

But all problems—and with successive defeats to Blackburn and Newcastle United to start 2012, United had quite a few of them—tend to disappear (at least momentarily) when the goals flow.

It didn't hurt, of course, that Rooney scored twice in the first half against City in that FA Cup fixture. The symbolism inherent in both those strikes was incontrovertible.

Like so many players linked—truthfully or not—with moves away from their club (I immediately think of Cesc Fabregas with Arsenal during the worst bouts of Barcelona rumors), Rooney turned to the club crest to display his loyalty. It was, for all intents and purposes, genuine.

United couldn't be happier to have their main man back on form.