Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Rooney is happy to stay at United
WAYNE Rooney insists he is happy and committed to Manchester United amid speculation of a move to the lucrative Chinese Super League.
Rooney scored his 250th Manchester United goal in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Stoke to pass Sir Bobby Charlton as the club’s record goalscorer.
However, the 31-year-old has made half of his 16 league appearances this season from the bench and there has been talk of him joining the high-profile players plying their trade in China.
While Rooney, whose contract expires in June 2018, admitted he would like more game time, he has no intention of pushing for a switch away from Old Trafford.
“Of course, I’m committed to the club,” Rooney said.
“I’ve been at United a long time. Football is a strange game and anything can happen, things change very quickly, but I’m happy at Manchester United.
“Of course, as I’ve said before, I want to play more games but I’m in a happy place at the moment.”
Manchester United will aim to secure their place in the EFL Cup final when they take on Hull on Thursday, while they are battling for Champions League qualification i n t he Premier League.
And Rooney feels United are on the brink of something special under Jose Mourinho after struggling in the aftermath of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
“You do get feelings of what is going to happen in the next two or three years,” added Rooney, who joined United from Everton in 2004.
“Jose Mourinho is certainly the right manager for the football club — and I really think in the next few years, t he club will be very successful.”
YAYA Toure wants to stay at Manchester City despite big-money interest from China.
The midfielder, out of contract at the end of the season, has received lucrative approaches from clubs in the Chinese Super League.
Reports have claimed Toure could earn up to £500,000 per week by moving but he insists he is not motivated by money and is keen to stay in the Premier League.
He said: “Yes that’s my idea. I always say that if I went to China I would end up feeling angry there.
“Do you play football because you love football, or do you play because you want to make money? What’s the purpose? “Me, I just want to play football because I enjoy it, I love playing.”