The wait is over. More than a month after the announcement was made, David Moyes is finally set to take his seat in the managerai??i??s office at Old Trafford in an official capacity from Monday. He might have had the best part of the summer to brace himself for this moment, but even then the enormity of his responsibilities ai??i?? as the man stepping into the shoes of arguably the greatest manager of all time at arguably the biggest club in the world ai??i?? is bound to be overwhelming. And even though he takes helm of a side which won the Premier League at a canter last season, it is not all a bed of roses when he goes to work on Monday. A number of burning issues will await him in the in-tray and success in his new job may well hinge on how quickly and suitably he resolves those.
One of Moyesai??i?? first acts as Manchester United manager will be to sit down with Wayne Rooney and decide on the future of the unsettled striker. There is a good chance that some preliminary talks have already been held between the two parties and if that indeed is the case then the fact that Rooney is still contracted to United bodes well for his future at the club.
Alternatively, it may so happen that the forward remains as determined as he was towards the conclusion of last season to leave the club and all parties are just waiting for his release to be rubber-stamped by the new manager. Either way, Moyes will need to come to a decision fast since the rest of Unitedai??i??s transfer activities this window are bound to be molded in some shape and form by what happens with Rooney.
Love him or hate him, there is no denying the class of the man who got his first break over a decade ago at Everton under Moyes. At 27 years of age, Rooney is potentially at the peak of his career and normally any club will loathe losing a player of his caliber. However, with Robin van Persie in the mix, Rooney is no longer indispensable to United ai??i?? a fact that had clearly rankled the player himself and led to talks with Sir Alex Ferguson on possibilities of an exit. Sir Alexai??i??s retirement though has altered the dynamics since then.
Under the new managerial regime everyone starts with a proverbial clean slate. Moyes and his former protAi??gAi?? may have fallen out in the past but have since publicly buried the hatchet. So there remains a distinct possibility that Moyes may mollycoddle Rooney into staying at Old Trafford with promise of a more substantial involvement in the team.
Apart from the football side of things, there remains the financial aspect as well. Rooney is about to enter the last two years of his lucrative contract (reported to be in the region of A?250,000 per week) at the club. While the player himself will be looking to secure a new deal ai??i?? possibly his last bumper contract ai??i?? comparable to the existing one, the club may not be so willing to demonstrate such generosity now that Rooney is no longer the sole talismanic figure at Old Trafford. In case United fail to reach a middle ground in contract negotiations, they risk keeping Rooney at the cost of losing him at a cut-price value next summer when only one year will remain in the playerai??i??s existing contract.
While United may be constrained with such financial considerations, the same does not hold true for a number of clubs in Europe who have beenAi??glancing admiringlyAi??at Rooney all summer. Franceai??i??s nouveau riche duo PSG and Monaco will be more than willing to meet Rooneyai??i??s contract demands whereas nearer to home both Chelsea and Arsenal have been linked with a move for the England striker. In recent weeks, even Barcelona have emerged as a potential suitor.
If United are ultimately forced into selling Rooney ai??i?? for football or finance related reasons ai??i?? they would prefer doing business with an overseas club rather than the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal. The price too will be a key issue as the club will look to recoup at least A?25 million inAi??return for their star asset. The most critical factor will be the timing of the deal as the club will need sufficient time to line up and acquire a replacement. Rooneyai??i??s departure can lead to United stepping up their pursuit of long term target Robert Lewandowski. With Rooneyai??i??s eye-watering salary off the weekly wage bill, United may have just about enough financial clout to lure Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford. Pipe dream it may be but even the mere thought of it is too tantalizing to reject it outright.
All this and more now rests on how Moyes will look to tackle the situation with Rooney. The outcome is sure to have far-reaching and long lasting implications for the manager, the player, the club and possibly even the Premier League.
Welcome to the Old Trafford hot seat, David! No pressure.
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