Wayne Rooney Opens Up on Chelsea Transfer Rumours, Sir Alex Ferguson and More

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has revealed he did float the idea of leaving the club two years ago, with Chelsea reportedly interested in the forward. But the England international has claimed he never actually submitted a transfer request to then manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

As reported by Jason Burt of the Daily Telegraph, Rooney was speaking on a documentary in the wake of him becoming England’s all-time record goalscorer, entitled “Wayne Rooney—The Man Behind The Goals.” In the programme, the striker discussed his concerns over playing time in the season before Ferguson’s retirement:

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I went in to see him (Ferguson) and just said ‘if you are not going to play me then it might be better for me to move on.’

Then, all of a sudden, it was all over the press that I had put a transfer request in which I never did. I don’t know what happened, why that came out that way.

"

Tom Jenkins/Getty Images

As reported by Burt, Chelsea were keen on signing Rooney at the time. It was the second instance the England man had expressed a desire to leave Old Trafford, revealing in 2010 that he wanted to leave due to a lack of ambition from United. Eventually, despite apparent interest from Manchester City, Rooney signed a new deal and apologised to his team-mates.

Rooney’s decision making are unlikely to accrue much favour with an authoritarian figure like Ferguson, and the former Everton man insisted he and others did have a frosty relationship with the manager. He also revealed Ferguson was the main reason he joined United in the first place, per Burt:

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He was the reason why I wanted to join Man United, to work with him. In my eyes the best manager of all-time. For him to be interested in me and wanting me to play under him, there was nowhere else I was going to go.

...

It is not just me who has had a fall-out with Alex Ferguson. I think many players have. Some have left. Some have stayed.

"

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Rooney is now the captain of this major football institution and has scaled great heights with the club in his remarkable career. As of yet, he’s not spearheaded a United charge toward silverware as skipper, but the Red Devils seem to be making steady progress under the tutelage of manager Louis van Gaal, as they are currently sitting atop the Premier League.

It’s been a tough start to the campaign personally for Rooney, but the striker finally showed signs of life in the 3-0 win over Sunderland at the weekend, per Squawka Football:

Rooney joining Chelsea in the summer of 2013 would have been an intriguing move. That was the year Blues boss Jose Mourinho returned to the club for a second stint and during the campaign, he only had Demba Ba, Fernando Torres and Samuel Eto’o to call upon at the point of the attack. Needless to say, Rooney would have enriched the options in this area.

BEN STANSALL/Getty Images

The United captain is fully committed to the cause at Old Trafford now, though, and he’ll be desperate to win a trophy as club captain before hanging up his boots. Indeed, Rooney’s come a long way since making his stunning debut for the club, which was just over 11 years ago, per Footy Accumulators:

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11 years ago today Wayne Rooney scored a hat trick on his debut for Man United! https://t.co/idv9lBoBc9

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) September 28, 2015"

Having been at a club for such a sustained period of time, there are always going to be ups, downs and temptations to go elsewhere. But Rooney will be remembered as a United great when he does eventually leave the club, with five Premier League titles and one Champions League win during his time at Old Trafford.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Both occasions when he looked to leave could have probably been handled a little better in hindsight, but in the end United have sated Rooney’s goals and convinced him to stick around. Now, in the latter stages of his career, it’s up to the captain to help expedite this team’s rise back to the summit of English football and reward the longstanding faith the club has showed in him.