Internet Desk: Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has urged Wayne Rooney to forget leaving Manchester United. The United captain, frustrated at losing his starting place is contemplating a move to his former club Everton. Former Dutch international who is now the manager with Everton has expressed an interest in signing the England captain should Mourinho allow him to leave Old Trafford.
The United boss has categorically made it clear that the 31 year old striker will not be allowed to leave United as he expects him to play a key role in taking the club to the top of the Premier League.
“I know he can still play at the highest level. I know he’s the type of player I need,” said Mourinho.
“He can play at the top level. I can’t say what’s going to happen when he’s 32, 3, 4, 5 but what I can say is that he’s a very good player, a very important player for us. He’s going nowhere.
“We like him, he likes us. He’s not happy in the last matches because he was on the bench but I think he is even unhappier when he’s not on the bench because he’s been injured and has to stay in the stands.
“There are no problems at all. He’s my captain. He is the team captain. He behaves like that.
“In my entire career I have had just a couple of players, they didn’t want to play and sometimes they wanted to hide when things got hotter.”
It was Koeman who signed 19 year old Rooney from Goodison at a transfer value of 20 million pounds in 2004.
“Even when we get one time the possibility that Rooney is an option for Everton, I’m very pleased,” said Koeman.
“I am not at United; I don’t see sessions and every game. It is a decision of the manager of Manchester United.
“But he is 31, he is not finished, he still has two or three years at least at the highest level.
“Wayne Rooney is a top player and, of course, if there is one day when he is available of course we would like to have him but it is too early and I don’t like to speak about players who are under contract at other teams.”
There were reports earlier this week that Mourinho is willing to allow Rooney to leave Old Trafford. But he took a 180 degree somersault in claiming that he still has lot to offer at United.
“I think he’s a human being like everybody else. He has family, like everybody else,” he said.
“He has kids, the oldest one at an age where he can read, he can feel, he gets affected by that.
“It’s just human nature but I think he’s a big boy, a big character. He copes with the situation.”