Rooney nearer to United exit
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 after a combination of poor form and injuries – and he is considering big money 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 his glorious Old Trafford career.
He still has 16 months of his £300,000-a-week deal to run, with the option of an extra 12 months.
But United are reluctant to trigger the extension and are unlikely to stand in the 31-year-old’s way should he choose to leave the club.
Mourinho insists he would never force him out but admits he has no idea if the club’s record scorer will still be at United after February 28.
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 leave. 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. I was very open with you in my answer – I don’t want him to leave.”
Rooney trained with the United squad yesterday for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury more than a fortnight ago, but did not travel to France for tonight’s Europa League, last-32 return leg with Saint-Etienne.
He has not started a game since the 4-0 FA Cup win over Wigan at the end of last month and he has scored just five goals this season compared with 24 by summer signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Mourinho admits United have made significant progress without Rooney this season and dropped the strongest hint yet that the England captain is now dispensable.
Mourinho said: “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. “We have players in attacking areas and they are playing well. Rooney is injured – simple.”
Saint-Etienne have a mountain to climb when United come to town holding a 3-0 lead from the first leg. The French club’s star winger Romain Hamouma admits that having to face Ibrahimovic is a pain in the backside. The Swede
SAINT-ETIENNE (4-2-3-1) RUFFIER; MALCUIT, THEOPHILECATHERINE, PERRIN, F POGBA; VERETOUT, PAJOT; HAMOUMA, SAIVET, MONNET-PAQUET; INTIMA. MANCHESTER UTD (4-2-3-1) ROMERO; YOUNG, SMALLING, ROJO, BLIND; CARRICK, FELLAINI; MATA, P POGBA, MARTIAL; IBRAHIMOVIC. REF: D Aytekin (Ger) TV: BT Sport 3 KICK-OFF: 5pm
I would never force a legend out of the club
scored a hat-trick in the first leg at Old Trafford last week to put United in cruise control for the return. Ibrahimovic has scored 17 goals in 14 appearances against Saint-Etienne – including three hat-tricks – during his time with United and Paris Saint-Germain. Hamouma admits they are sick and tired of him and would much prefer never to have to face him again. He said: ‘It’s a pain to play against Zlatan. But we don’t have a choice in the matter, we just have to channel our energies towards it. “It is vital that we launch ourselves into the battle tonight without even a second thought.” HAT’S OFF: Mourinho training with Rooney yesterday, but the boss said the striker could be leaving shortly the gladiator for my players.”
A Champions League night represents a welcome break from the toil and turmoil of a desperate season in the Premier League after the miracle of their title win.
The Foxes are teetering on the brink of the relegation zone and the unthinkable is now being talked about – Ranieri getting the bullet.
But the 65-year-old remains defiant, believing the first leg of this double-header could help turn the tide.
Ranieri said: “Look, I could have left last season. Nobody could say anything because I won the title. I wanted to stay here because I knew it would be a difficult year.
“I came here to build, to build something good for Leicester, for everybody. I keep forget about our league form for one night.
“What has changed? I wish I could put my finger on it so we could change it around but it’s not that easy.”
Vardy thrives on the big stage but says the historic Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium will not give him that extra edge.
He added: “It’s a lovely stadium but I like playing anywhere. It could be on a park to be honest. Where I play doesn’t bother me.” (4-1-3-2)
RICO; MARIANO, RAMI, LEN ESCUDERO; N’ZONZI; VITO NASRI, VAZQUEZ; JOVET BEN YEDDER.
(4-4-2)
SCHMEICHEL; SIMPSON, H MORGAN, FUCHS; DRINKWA NDIDI, ALBRIGHTON, MAH OKAZAKI, VARDY.
REF: C Turpin (France) TV: BT S KICK-OFF: 7.45pm