ROO READY FOR QUICK UNITED EXIT
EUROPA LEAGUE China calling as Jose admits he could go
JOSE MOURINHO cannot guarantee Wayne Rooney will still be at Manchester United by the end of next week.
Rooney has struggled to hold down a regular place in Mourinho’s side this season following a combination of poor form and injuries.
The England and United captain, 31, is considering multi-million pound offers from the Chinese Super League.
The transfer window in China does not close until the end of this month and Rooney could decide to cash in and bring the curtain down on a glorious Old Trafford career.
Rooney still has 16 months of his £300,000-a-week deal to run, with the option of an extra 12 months, but United bosses are reluctant to trigger the extension and are unlikely to stand in his way should he choose to leave.
Boss Mourinho insists he would never force him out but admits he has no idea if his talisman will still be at United after February 28.
Push
Asked if he could leave next week, Mourinho said: “You have to ask him. Of course, I can’t guarantee that.
“I cannot guarantee that I’m here next week, so how can I guarantee that a player is here next season?
“What I can guarantee is that if one day Wayne leaves the club it is not because I want him to.
“I would never push a legend of this club to another destiny. You have to ask him if he sees himself staying at the club for the rest of his career or sees himself moving.
“It is not a question for me because I am happy to have him. You’ll have to ask him, not me.
“I was very open with you in the answer. I don’t want him to leave.”
The striker trained with the United squad yesterday for the first time since suffering a hamstring problem more than a fortnight ago, but did not travel to France for tonight’s Europa League last-32 return leg with St Etienne.
Rooney has not started a game since the end of last month and has scored just five goals this season compared to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s 24.
Mourinho admits United have made significant progress without him this season and dropped the strongest hint yet that Rooney is now dispensable.
He added: “He’s injured. I cannot do miracles at that level. He is injured and has been for two or three weeks.
“When you don’t have a player, you have others. The team is in a good moment.
“In the past four months we lost only one game, and we lost a game we could lose because it’s a two-legged match in the League Cup. The team is in a good moment.
“We have players in attacking areas and they are playing well. Rooney is injured – simple.”