Wayne Rooney is unlikely to remain with Manchester United unless the team respects his desire to remain a center forward. The striker told FourFourTwo that he still believed his best position was as a striker.
The Englishman was always utilized as a striker by former Manchester boss Alex Ferguson prior to the 2012-13 season when he wound up playing midfield thanks to the addition of Dutchman Robin Van Persie. After scoring 27 goals in 2011-12, Rooney only produced 12 goals in 27 matches this year; he produced 10 assists in the process.
"No. In the years to come, that might be somewhere I could play, but, right now, I'm definitely a centre-forward. I'm after more goals," Rooney told FourFourTwo about continuing to play midfield. "I've played up front on my own a few times for Manchester United and it's a role I'm very comfortable with and have no problems playing. When you play as a target man, you have to stay up front and help the team out by holding the ball up and waiting for support. That all comes with experience.
"It's a good role for me to play, and hopefully I can continue doing well there."
If Rooney is adamant about remaining a forward then it is likely that he will not stick with his current club. Van Persie scored 26 goals this season and tallied 30 times in 2011-12; he is undoubtedly the top option for Manchester. Aside from Van Persie, Manchester United seems interested in retaining young Mexican Javier Hernandez. The 25-year old scored 10 goals in 22 premier league appearances; he only started in nine of those games.
Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal have noted an interest in Rooney. "Rooney could be an interesting player for everybody in the world, who would turn him down?" Arsenal manager Wenger told Al Jazeera. "David Moyes' first challenge is to go in to Manchester and bridge the gap between him and Rooney. If that is feasible or not depends on his personality and if Rooney bears a grudge or not - we will see. It will be interesting to see how that will be handled."
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