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Looks Like Wayne Rooney Is Moving To China

Looks Like Wayne Rooney Is Moving To China

United have 'given him green light' for move.

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Rumours about Wayne Rooney's move to China have been circulating for a while, however, it's now been reported that Manchester United have given the striker the go ahead to leave.

According to the Mirror, Rooney was given the green light by United's executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, after surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton's goalscoring record.

In his 13 years with the club, Rooney has made 549 appearances, scored 250 goals and won every honour in the English game, meaning there's little left that the English leagues can offer him.

A move to one of the Chinese Super League's top outfits could see him earning an eye-watering £750,000-a-week. A WEEK. More than double his current salary.

Credit: PA

United bought Rooney from Everton for £27million back in 2004, and it seems like they'll be able to get that money back as offers from Chinese clubs could be around £30million.

The paper is also reporting that Rooney may have already played his last game for United, as he struggles to get fit ahead of the EFL Cup final this Sunday, which will see his club face Southampton.

Credit: PA

A United source told the Mirror: "Nothing could happen until Wayne beat Sir Bobby's United goalscoring record. We all knew that once he'd beaten that, the time would come to review his career here.

"Everything remains totally amicable. We are well aware of what Wayne has done for the club and he appreciates the career he's had here.

"But sometimes it's best for all the parties concerned to look at where we stand and plan a way forward that works for everyone."

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, United manager Jose Mourinho said any decision to leave would be up to Rooney. He said: "You'll have to ask [Rooney if he will stay next season].

"If one day Rooney wants to leave the club then it isn't because of me, I will never force a legend out. You have to ask him."

Mourinho then went on to talk about how well the team is doing, despite Rooney's injuries, as he said: "Rooney is injured and has been injured for two or three weeks. I cannot do miracles at that level.

"When you don't have a player, you have others. The team is in a good moment.

"In the past four months we lost only one game, and we lost a game we could lose, because it was a two-legged match for the League Cup.

"The team is in a good moment. We have players in attacking areas and they are playing well. Rooney is injured, simple."

Rooney broke the long-standing record, which had been held by Charlton since his 1973, when he scored against Wigan on 29 January - his last starting appearance.

Credit: Manchester United

At the time, Sir Bobby, 79, heaped praise on Rooney, saying: "He is a true great for club and country, and it is fitting that he is now the highest goalscorer for both United and England.

"It has been great to watch him every week since his arrival at Old Trafford in 2004. He set the tone with a wonderful hat-trick on his debut and he has thrilled us all in the years since, going on to enjoy a hugely successful career.

"I was 35 when I retired. Wayne is only 31 and still going strong, so I don't think he's done by a long stretch yet. He continues to show that he can contribute goals, assists and performances whenever called upon. He will raise the bar even further before he calls it a day.

"Now he's the man to beat, and I can't see anybody doing that for a long, long time."

Football is fast becoming big business in China, with billionaires and huge corporations funding teams.

In recent months several big-name players have made the move to China, including Carlos Tevez, who now plays for Shanghai Shenhua and earns £615,000 a week. Nice.


Credit: PA

Wayne, his wife, Coleen, and their three sons currently live in Cheshire, so a move to the Far East might be a bit of a culture shock for them. But I'm definitely looking forward to the Scouser trying to learn the local lingo.

How well he'll play in China remains to be seen if he does make the move. Rooney has never played for a non-English side and he'll be playing during the intense summer heat in Shanghai, where temperatures can reach 40C. Better get the factor 50, Wayne, mate.

He's also likely to face a bit of jealousy from his teammates, who reportedly earn 15 times less than the former stars of the Premier League. Either way, I'm pretty sure £750,000 a week will be enough of a sweetener to keep him happy.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Football, Manchester United, Wayne Rooney