Rio Ferdinand believes Wayne Rooney will leave Manchester United in the summer.
Rio Ferdinand has opined that the current campaign will be the last for Wayne Rooney with Manchester United as he believes that the veteran striker will depart from Old Trafford in the summer transfer window.
As reported by Daily Mail, Ferdinand said on BT Sport that Rooney is likely to decide his future but the former Manchester United defender doubts his compatriot will be at Old Trafford next season. “I think it sounds like it is down to Rooney if he wants to stay, I believe he will want to go onto pastures new,” he said.
Rooney has enjoyed a storied career with Manchester United, getting his hands on every trophy there is to win in club competition – an impressive haul of 12 major trophies apart from four Community Shield triumphs. On top of that, he also boasts the record of being Manchester United’s all-time leading goalscorer – 253 goals to his name.
However, after spending more than 12 years at the club being one of the first names on the team sheets, Rooney’s role has diminished significantly this season. Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Old Trafford has seen the Englishman play a bit part role this season, managing a mere 25 starts in all competitions.
However, Rooney has looked a pale shadow of his former destructive self. The 30-year-old’s return of just 8 goals and 10 assists this season is also a clear indication of the player having lost some of the sharpness that made him a potent threat upfront for almost a decade.
Having endured the most torrid season of his professional career, Rooney’s future at Old Trafford has been a constant subject of widespread speculations, with rumours linking him with a summer exit from Manchester United.
However, Rooney has, time and again, gone on record to state that he is willing to fight for his place in Mourinho’s first-team plans, all while being linked with a move to China as well as a potential return to Everton.
And despite insisting that he would like to remain a Manchester United player next season, making fewer starts in all competitions than he made in just the Premier League in 2015/16 is unlikely to have left Rooney a happy man this term.
Rooney’s current deal with Manchester United runs till the summer of 2019 and it remains to be seen if Rooney is happy playing a bit part role under Jose Mourinho, or seeks pastures anew for regular game time, as former teammate Rio Ferdinand believes he will.
