Manchester United have twice been rocked by claims that star striker Wayne Rooney wanted to quit the club. The first such incident arose in 2010 when the ex-Everton player refused to sign a new deal at Old Trafford, citing the club's apparent lack of ambition as a reason, while his relationship with manager Sir Alex Ferguson was fragile. However, two days later, he would later climb down from those claims and sign a new five-year contract to stay. The second incident transpired last year, when Rooney again had a flare-up with Ferguson and complained about being played out of position. The forward famously said he had been left feeling "angered and confused" by his position at the club, with Ferguson seeming to prefer Robin van Persie as his main striker. Rumours suggested he was about to hand in a transfer request, which Rooney denied - though Ferguson was insistent that the player had asked to leave. The dispute was resolved by Ferguson's retirement that summer and the appointment of David Moyes as his successor, who managed Rooney during his days at Everton and helped extinguish some of the fires that had been made from the striker's combustible relationship with Fergie.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
