Wayne Rooney must force his Manchester United departure
if he wants to leave, says former Reds midfielder Paul Ince.
United maintain that the striker is not for sale after a
second Chelsea bid - of £25m plus add-ons - was rejected.
Rooney, 27, who remains intent on leaving United, has
been left out of their squad for Tuesday's friendly in Stockholm with a
shoulder injury.
Paul Ince: Despite being one of the top players in
England, was sold to Inter Milan in 1995 after Sir Alex Ferguson decided that
Nicky Butt and Roy Keane would be his starting midfielders
David Beckham: Following a tumultuous season in which
Ferguson had accidentally kicked a boot in his face and dropped him for several
big matches, the midfielder was sold to Real Madrid in 2003
Jaap Stam: The Dutch defender said he felt he had been
treated like "a piece of meat" after he was sold to Lazio in 2001
after the publication of his autobiography
"If Wayne wants to go, then it is up to him to force
that issue," said Blackpool manager Ince.
"But Wayne has not said he wants to go or wants to
stay; it would be nice to know what Wayne Rooney wants."
Speculation has surrounded Rooney's future since
ex-United manager Sir Alex Ferguson stated in May that he had asked for a
transfer.
That request - which sources close to the player insist
did not occur - followed a season in which the player struggled for form and
fitness, was usurped as main striker at the club by Robin van Persie and was
dropped for the high-profile Champions League second round, second leg clash
with Real Madrid.
Ferguson's successor, David Moyes, has continually
stressed that Rooney is not for sale.
But that has not deterred Chelsea, who had an initial bid
of about £20m turned down by United in July.
Ince - a combative midfielder who won 53 caps for England
and played for several clubs including West Ham, Manchester United, Inter Milan
and Liverpool - suggested that after nine trophy-laden campaigns at Old
Trafford, Rooney could now be looking for a fresh start.
"I do know that there comes a stage where players
get stale," he said following Blackpool's 1-0 Capital Cup defeat by
Preston on Monday.
"When you look at most players who go to Man Utd,
apart from the likes of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, they have something like a
six-year tenure and then they move on.
"Whether that is the case for Wayne, I don't know,
but I do know that he needs to be playing football this season.
"He will not be prepared to play second fiddle to
anybody because he is a world-class player and you expect world-class players
to be playing football."
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