How close was Wayne Rooney to leaving Manchester United for the Chinese Super League?

Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney looks set to depart the club in the summer.

Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney recently released a statement affirming his desire to stay at the club amid talk that he was set to move to the Chinese Super League.

However, questions are being asked why a statement would be necessary if the China talk was unsubstantiated rumour, which suggests a move was nearly on the cards.

The player’s agent was reported to be in the country trying to broker a move to no avail, and it appears a lack of time before deadline was the reason for him staying at Old Trafford rather than club loyalty.

Too young to retire but no future at United

Wayne Rooney has been on the periphery at Manchester United this season, making just two starts in the Premier League since November. The club’s all-time record goalscorer has netted only five goals in all competitions, making just eight starts in the Premier League. Despite featuring on a regular basis earlier in the campaign with a defiant Mourinho talking up his importance, Rooney has played himself out of the side with a series of ineffective showings for the Red Devils.

Despite being only 31 years of age and the club captain, Rooney no longer has a future as a regular first-team player, and he hasn’t been making much of an impact from the bench either. The England forward averages a shot on target every 84 minutes in the top flight and has a 44% successful dribble rate. Rooney is behind the likes of Juan Mata, Henrik Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba in the pecking order and his exit from the club looks a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’.

Rooney exit inevitable as his contract won’t be extended

Wayne Rooney’s lofty £300K-a-week wages are something the club are keen to get off the bill as soon as possible if he’s no longer a first-team player. The forward has less than 18 months remaining on his deal and Manchester United will want to get the most value out of the player as possible before it’s too late. They won’t offer Rooney a new deal given how much his salary will set them back, so the player is going to have to find himself a new club this summer or at the end of the following season.

It appeared he had the club’s blessing to move away from Old Trafford, and Mourinho has a decision to make whether he will bow to sentimentality and play the 31-year-old in Sunday’s EFL Cup final against Southampton – potentially the last final he plays in for United. Manchester United are 3/4 to win against Southampton in 90 minutes in Sunday’s EFL Cup final, and the Red Devils boss touched upon the “head over heart” dilemma which hints that he feels Rooney’s time at Old Trafford is coming to an end.

He’s too expensive to be a substitute and still has many years of service to give to a side that have a vacancy in the squad. The Chinese Super League have the money not only to match his wage demands, but to greatly surpass them. Clubs in the division also have the money to compensate Manchester United for his services.