Nobody is bigger than the boss – not even Rooney

From Paul McGrath and Norman Whiteside in the
early days, then, as his authority was cemented,
to Paul Ince, David Beckham, Jaap Stam, Roy
Keane and Carlos Tevez, Sir Alex Ferguson has
always been prepared to move on good players,
even great ones, who challenge him either
directly or through the way they live. Wayne
Rooney, it appears, may be about to find that he
is as dispensable as the others.
There are times when this refusal to countenance
dissent has weakened the team in the short term,
such as when Stam was forced out, but even at
70 years of age Ferguson takes the long view.
Rooney would be very difficult to replace, but it is
harder to control a dressing room when some of
its members believe themselves more important
than the boss.
Ferguson has said that a manager can never lose
an argument, suggesting he has not, but this is
only partly true. Players have more power now
and he was unable to hold on to Cristiano
Ronaldo and Gerard Pique. He has also been
prepared to compromise when he needs a
player. As Keane recently revealed, he and
Ferguson had many disputes when Keane was in
his prime. Ferguson always found a way to make
peace, to accommodate his warrior captain. Until,
that is, Keane's powers began to wane. Then
Keane was shown the door. As he said last
month, “the difference then was that I was 34”.
Rooney is only 26, and still growing as a player,
but his performances lack the reliability of Keane.
In the last couple of years Rooney's form has
either been red hot, or ice cold. While some
players – John Terry would be the obvious
example – play to par regardless of what
maelstrom may be enveloping them, extraneous
factors seem to weigh Rooney down. When that
happens his body language betrays a lack of
desire and he seems to draw within himself
before lashing out, as with England in
Montenegro, in apparent frustration.
The split between Ferguson and Rooney is
understood to date back to the infamous transfer
request a year ago. Then Ferguson gave in,
swallowing his pride to welcome Rooney back
into a dressing room the quality of whose
occupants Rooney had questioned. As when he
settled with Keane, Ferguson had considered the
bigger picture and he seemed to be rewarded. In
the second half of last season, Rooney scored
nine goals in 13 Premier League starts as United
regained the title. All seemed well.
Rooney began this campaign scoring at a rate
superior to a goal a game, but then came the
arrest of his father and uncle for alleged
involvement in a match-fixing scheme. The
following day he played against Montenegro,
scored, but was then dismissed. Since then he
has scored five goals in 15 games. In itself that
would not be a problem, not least because he
played on several occasions in midfield because
of United's lack of alternatives, and did well there.
What appears to have infuriated Ferguson is the
Christmas night out with Jonny Evans and Darron
Gibson, an allegedly dishevelled and disinterested
appearance at training the following day, and
subsequent sulky performance when recalled at
Newcastle.
While Ferguson has shown in the past he is
prepared to give way when dealing with star
players – his initial reaction to Eric Cantona's lunge
into the crowd at Selhurst Park was to sack him –
there is a line he, and any other manager, must
draw. When a senior player becomes mutinous
he has to be moved on. Otherwise he will
become the focus of a negative clique in the
dressing room, and a bad example on the
training ground. The latter aspect is crucial at
United. A hunger for success is not easy to
sustain. For years Ferguson has succeeded in
driving United on to title after title, and one of the
means by which he has done so is through a
training ground culture in which senior players
set the lead. Keane, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes,
Ryan Giggs ... all outstanding trainers, as were
Cantona and Beckham.
New players, and youth players, join United, see
how hard the stars work, and follow suit. Giggs
is still there, but the others are gone and Rooney
is now one of the senior pros. At a time when
United's young players have been accused of
being complacent Ferguson cannot allow a
diminution of commitment. That Ferguson felt he
had to discipline Evans and Gibson, too, will not
have helped Rooney's cause. It may be Ferguson
has decided Rooney has to go because of his
stature, not despite it.
Highs and Lows: Rooney's United Reign
Aug 2004: Joins Manchester United from Everton
for £25.6m, in what remains the highest fee paid
for a teenager.
Sep: Scores hat-trick on United debut, in a 6-2
Champions League win over Fenerbahce.
Apr 2005: Hits stunning long-range volley against
Newcastle United in the Premier League.
Sep: Receives first red card for United, sent off for
sarcastically applauding the referee at Villarreal in
the Champions League.
Feb 2006: Scores twice in 4-0 League Cup final
win over Wigan to gain first piece of silverware.
Aug: Sent off against Porto in pre-season
tournament, six weeks after World Cup red card
against Portugal.
Oct: Scores hat-trick in 4-0 win at Bolton.
May 2007: Hits 23 goals to help United to first
Premier League title in four seasons.
May 2008: Secures second title as Manchester
United retain Premier League, before helping club
win third Champions League, beating Chelsea on
penalties in Moscow.
Mar 2009: Dismissed in 2-0 defeat at Fulham,
given second yellow for throwing ball away
before kicking out at corner flag on his way off
the pitch.
May: Wins third Premier League title in three
years, unable to stop United losing 2-0 to
Barcelona in Champions League final.
Jan 2010: Strikes four in a match for the first time,
scoring all United's goals in 4-0 win over Hull.
Finishes fine season with 34 goals from 44
appearances, winning FWA Footballer of the Year
and PFA Player's Player of the Year.
Mar: Injures ankle in Champions League quarter-
final defeat at Bayern Munich. Returns within a
week but only scores twice more for the club in
2010.
Aug: Allegations of marital infidelity emerge in
tabloid newspapers. Fails in attempts to place an
injunction on the story's publication.
Oct: States intention to leave United following a
dispute with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, but later
changes his mind and signs a new £250,000-a-
week contract.
Feb 2011: Scores with stunning overhead kick to
win Manchester derby.
Apr: Scores fifth Manchester United hat-trick, in
4-2 win at West Ham. Swears at camera while
celebrating and receives two-match ban from FA.
May: Wins fourth Premier League title in five
years at Old Trafford. Scores United's only goal in
3-1 defeat to Barcelona in Champions League final
at Wembley.
Aug: Scores treble in 8-2 drubbing of Arsenal at
Old Trafford.
Sep: Hits back-to-back treble at Bolton, his
seventh United hat-trick, starting season with 11
goals in nine games.
Dec: Dropped from the team to play Blackburn
and fined £200,000. following night out. United
lose 3-2.
Where Rooney might go: Transfer
destinations
Estimated value £50m
Real Madrid
A move to the Spanish capital would enable
Rooney to link up with his old winking mate,
Cristiano Ronaldo. However, with the Portuguese
winger, Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema all
banging in the goals for Jose Mourinho's side this
season, and Mesut Ozil pulling the strings from
just behind, Rooney could struggle to get a
game.
Barcelona
Having previously raised doubts about
Manchester United's ability to continue to attract
the world's best players, Rooney would surely
have no such qualms were he to move to the
Catalan giants (and there would be the added
bonus, as with Real, of Champions League
football). With David Villa out for the remainder of
the season with a broken leg, Barcelona could do
with another striking option.
Milan
The Rossoneri's ongoing pursuit of Carlos Tevez
suggests that they are in the market for a
forward, and with Milan's reputation for fashion
Rooney could perhaps be tempted to move in
search of some new clothes to compliment his
recently-acquired hair – with his wife also
enjoying the shops. Furthermore, marital
infidelity is apparently less frowned upon in Italy –
if Silivo Berlusconi is anything to go by.
Paris St-Germain
The Qatar-backed French side would have no
trouble affording the England forward, and would
doubtless be attracted to the prospect of making
such a marquee signing having recently failed to
woo David Beckham over from the States.
Rooney could link up well with French goal-
machine Guillaume Hoarau – although it is hard to
imagine him opting to hide his magnificent barnet
under a beret.
Manchester City
Rooney reportedly flirted with the idea of joining
United's noisy neighbours during his contract
dispute in late 2010, while City manager Roberto
Mancini has recently bemoaned the club's lack of
resources up front. It would be an act of treason,
but could the lure of financial rewards, plus the
chance to link up with the talents of David Silva,
Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri et al, be enough to
tempt Rooney?
And who might replace him?
Internazionale's Wesley Sneijder has long been
linked with a move to United, and his preferred
position just behind the striker would make him a
like-for-like replacement for Rooney. If Milan were
the forward's destination, Brazilian Alexandre Pato
could potentially be used in some form of swap
deal. Lille's sought after Belgian Eden Hazard
would also be able to fill the creative void left by
Rooney's departure, while Spurs' Luka Modric
could feature. Or there's always a certain Carlos
Tevez...
Tom Metcalf