MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson confirmed Tuesday that Wayne Rooney wants to leave the Premier League club.
“We have had a discussion about the whole situation. The player says he is adamant he wants to leave,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson said the 24-year-old Rooney called off contract negotiations in August. The England striker’s current deal at United runs out in the summer of 2012.
Ferguson said he was “dumbfounded” by Rooney’s decision, adding: “Only months before, he was saying he was at the greatest club in the world.”
The United manager stressed he had not fallen out with the player, despite widespread reports in the British media.
“We’ve not had any argument,” Ferguson told United’s television channel, MUTV. “You have to understand the mechanics of these situations when someone wants to leave the club. It’s an easy one to say you’ve fallen out with the manager.”
Hours before Ferguson made the announcement, Rooney was carried off on a stretcher after sustaining an ankle injury during a United training session. The striker will miss Wednesday’s Champions League match against Bursaspor.