Manchester United Transfer Rumours: Red Devils Right to Avoid Wayne Rooney Sale

So I guess that ends the Wayne Rooney rumours, then.

Quite often, you hear a football club say X player is not for sale at any price. Generally, it's a tactic used to drive the player's price tag even higher. Now, any time a supporter hears that his club will not sell the star player, that's a surefire sign it's only a matter of time before he's off.

Manchester United have time and again denied that Rooney is available. Manager David Moyes has gone on record to say that the star striker isn't for sale, and Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward intimated the club would be willing to let his contract run out.

Rather than posturing, though, it seems United really do have no plans to sell Rooney to Chelsea. The Guardian's Daniel Taylor reported that the club has never even considered anything other than a future with the 27-year-old in the squad:

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However, the Guardian has learned there has never been a point over the summer when United have placed a valuation on him – or even talked about it. Chelsea's bids have been considered derisory behind the scenes at Old Trafford but that is largely irrelevant compared to the bigger point that it is not a financial matter, but more a case of protecting the team, supporting Moyes and ensuring there is no damage to the club's status. Chelsea's £50m signing of Fernando Torres from Liverpool was widely seen throughout the game as a shift in dynamic between the two clubs. United are adamant they will not put themselves in the same position.

Their thinking is also driven by a recognition that Rooney belongs to a rare group of match-winning players and that, at 27, selling him to Chelsea would mean passing on a forward capable of scoring 20 to 30 goals a season for the next five years. United, in short, are in complete agreement with Gary Neville's view that they "would be mad to sell him".

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Therein lies the biggest problem with selling Rooney to the Blues. You can put a value on how much the player is worth for a one-off transfer. What you can't put a price tag on is how much money you could lose as that player helps a rival club try to finish ahead of you in the Premier League table.

It doesn't matter how much Wayne Rooney sulks and wants out of Old Trafford, having him go to Chelsea makes almost no sense for Manchester United. David Moyes would be cutting his nose off to spite his face.

If a foreign club were to come in for the player, you might have to give it some thought. He's not going to your direct competition and could only hurt you in the Champions League. Given the fact that Paris Saint-Germain have bought Edinson Cavani and Real Madrid have made their big signings, the market for Rooney has pretty much dried up.

There are those who argue that it's never a good idea to have a player in the team who doesn't want to be there. To a certain extent, that's a valid argument.

Rooney is a special case, as is Luis Suarez with Liverpool and Gareth Bale for Tottenham. These are some of the best players in the world, who are close to irreplaceable for their respective clubs.

Sure, his fitness has been in question and limited his effectiveness at times. That hasn't stopped Rooney from becoming a striker who can play more as a poacher close to goal or drop deeper toward midfield and involve his teammates in the attack.

At his best, he is the kind of generational talent you can't simply go out and replace in one summer.

The biggest thing United have on Rooney is leverage. Manchester United aren't some mid-table club that struggles to win titles or qualify for the Champions League.

They're in no financial position where they have to sell Rooney to balance the budget. Manchester United are one of the richest clubs in the world. They can afford to pay his wages if it means sending a message that they won't be forced into making player sales.

Since he has a long-term contract at the club, Rooney has to suck it up and play. It's either that, or he continues to train with the reserves and watches his transfer value continue to plummet. No top clubs are going to want to come in for a malcontent striker who is not getting playing time with his club.

Although Manchester United have bungled a bit of their summer business with their failure to bring in world-class players, they've handled the Rooney situation absolutely perfectly.