Wayne Rooney will not be leaving Manchester United before the end of the season, insists manager Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese boss also revealed that Ashley Young won’t head to the Chinese Super League despite a number of rumours in the last week of the January transfer window.
Rooney and Young to stay at Man United
Rooney took Sir Bobby Charlton’s Man United goalscoring record of over 40 years recently with a free-kick at Stoke City in a 1-1 draw taking him to 250 goals for the club. Despite no sign of unhappiness from the club captain, who also leads England’s goalscoring charts, reports suggested the money of the Chinese Super League has tempted Rooney.
Speaking ahead of United’s third match against relegation-threatened Hull City in the space of a month, Mourinho insisted that possibility of Ashley Young leaving for the Chinese Super League is “finished”.
“He stays with me until the end of the season,” Mourinho said of Young, set to start against Hull on Wednesday night. “He is playing tomorrow,” revealed Mourinho, who has given Young only two Premier League starts this season.
Asked about Rooney’s future at the club, Mourinho was clear in his response, if not direct. He told reporters that United “don’t have players in,” and so “don’t have players out.”
Rooney has seemed happy in recent weeks, becoming the club’s top goalscorer was both an honour and a relief, but while Mourinho has hailed the professionalism of his captain, it is evident he is losing value at United, coming on as a substitute in as many games as he has started in the league.
Reports suggested Rooney considering China move
Rooney knows any potential attacking arrival in the summer, with Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann the centre of attention on that front, could see him drop further down the pecking order, already behind Marcus Rashford, Zlatan Ibrahimović and Anthony Martial.
The Chinese Super League offers an interesting challenge and, of course, a last huge pay packet for Rooney, who has three children with partner Coleen.