Rooney has fans' backing - Vidic

Wayne Rooney looks set to stay at Manchester United
28 August 2013

Wayne Rooney's central role in so many Manchester United glory nights will ensure he continues to receive the full backing of the club's supporters should he remain at Old Trafford.

That is the view of skipper Nemanja Vidic, who was not in the least bit surprised at the ovation Rooney received during Monday night's draw with Chelsea.

It may have been slightly odd that the visiting supporters were also singing Rooney's name.

However, having ruled out the possibility of handing in an official transfer request, it now seems increasingly likely the 27-year-old will have to remain at United, at least until January.

"He has scored so many goals and won so many trophies. I expected him to receive a good reception," said Vidic.

"The supporters have always supported the players.

"Wayne is no different.

"He has been supported throughout the years and I don't think there was a question he would have been supported against Chelsea."

But the issues that prompted Rooney to consider an exit from Old Trafford remain.

Whilst they have never been publicly revealed, it was established some considerable time ago that Rooney was deeply affected by Sir Alex Ferguson's stance towards him at the end of last season, in particular the Scot's claim he had asked for a move.

In fact, Rooney had merely requested clarification of his position within the United squad given his omission from some key games, including the high-profile Champions League tie with Real Madrid in March.

And whilst Ferguson has now stepped down as manager, and at this present moment is not a presence at Old Trafford as he continues his recover from hip surgery, Rooney believes he will eventually exert sufficient influence to make the former Everton man's situation uncomfortable.

United though have shown no indication of being willing to enter any discussion about Rooney's future.

As the forward still has two years remaining on his contract, they hold most of the power.

And whilst some at United accept there is at least an argument for releasing Rooney, with a new manager at the helm and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward taking over the player negotiating roles of departed chief executive David Gill, they also believe a hard line must be taken.

With this in mind, Woodward and Moyes do not want to be seen as buckling at the first sign of player pressure for fear of what that may bring over the long-term.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in