Manchester United: A New Challenge May be Right Direction For Wayne Rooney

Former Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan believes Wayne Rooney could be seeking "a new challenge", according to an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live.

The England international has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford this summer after finding himself sidelined last season under former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

The 27-year-old played in a wider role for several Premier League matches and was left out of the team completely for the Champions League last-16 tie with Real Madrid.

Ferguson claimed Rooney had handed in a transfer request before the end of the season, as BBC Sport reported, but the forward has been angered by those claims, according to Steve Bates of the Sunday People.

Ultimately, Ferguson insisted the future of Rooney was now in the hands of incoming United manager David Moyes, who had given the forward his Premier League debut while both men were at Everton.

Moyes began work officially at Old Trafford on Monday and he has already spoken with Rooney about the player's future, according to Charlie Wyett of The Sun.

The move has been interpreted as a way for Rooney to stay with the club and former teammate Gary Neville recently claimed in an interview with Talksport that the player can fulfil his ambitions at Old Trafford.

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I would never recommend anyone leave Manchester United because I believe it to be a great stage to play football and you can achieve what you want there.

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However, Phelan, who was released by United after Moyes' appointment, believes Rooney could simply be seeking a new challenge.

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Wayne is at the greatest club you can be at. Why would you want to jeopardise that, unless you want a fresh challenge and you feel that challenge isn't being met at Manchester United.

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Arsenal recently had a £20 million bid for Rooney rejected, according to Simon Mullock of the Sunday Mirror, while Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have all been credited with an interest in the player, as Yahoo.com reported.

The perceived view of a player leaving Manchester United is that there is only one way to go; down.

Arguably, only David Beckham has disproved there is life after United, but his moves to Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and Paris Saint-German merely enhanced his brand name rather than providing the equivalent success in terms of silverware.

Paul Pogba is, potentially, another who can prove himself as a world star after leaving United but his success with Juventus still needs to be underlined at the age of 20.

However, like Beckham, Rooney does still possess a brand name as a favourite among football supporters, especially among the younger fans.

Rooney is still a first-choice for his country and has proven experience and ability at the top of the football world.

Like Beckham, a move away from Old Trafford will not necessarily mean a downward turn in his career.

However, if Moyes is unable to persuade the forward to stay, the United boss and the club should be wary of allowing Rooney to join any Premier League rivals.

Rooney was strongly linked with a move to Manchester City in October 2010 after handing in a transfer request at the time, as The Metro reported.

That issue was resolved and Rooney remained at Old Trafford, but things are different this time.

In a poll for The Guardian last month, 74 percent of supporters favoured Moyes getting rid of the forward ahead of the new season.

Although not a thoroughly scientific survey, the sheer number of fans voting against Rooney staying does display a lack of support behind the 27 year old.

Rooney remains a potent force in world football. His strength and power on the ball, his passing ability and goalscoring qualities are still evident and his presence in any team would be regarded as a bonus.

It is arguable that Rooney is heading into a new challenge at Old Trafford as Moyes takes over from Ferguson, but the demise of his support among the fans may indicate a new direction is required.

A dropped player who stays to fight for his place is regarded with respect by fans, but this is Wayne Rooney and his proven ability and experience make him a far different proposition to the journeyman hanging on to a contract for dear life.

The time may be right for Rooney to make his move.