Manager changes but Rooney dilemma remains

Arsenal to play ‘important’ game against Wigan in EPL today.

LONDON: Alex Ferguson bowed out in triumph following his last Old Trafford match as Manchester United manager only to leave successor David Moyes with the familiar problem of what to do with striker Wayne Rooney.

No sooner had the Premier League champions defeated Swansea 2-1 on Sunday to bring down the curtain on Ferguson’s final home match after more than 26 years in charge of United, than the veteran manager revealed England international Rooney had submitted a transfer request.

Ferguson, who retires at the end of the season, dropped Rooney for the Swansea match and said the forward had not been in the right frame of mind to play.

“I don’t think Rooney was keen to play because he’s asked for a transfer and he wants to think it through in his mind,” Ferguson told Sky Sports. “I think that’s a good idea.

“We’re not going to let him go. I think maybe he’s a little bit frustrated that he’s been taken off once or twice in the last few weeks.”

Rooney last asked to leave United in 2010, when he accused the club of failing to match his ambitions, only to change his mind and sign a new five-year contract.

Ferguson, perhaps conscious of the Rooney problem that will confront Moyes, thanked supporters and urged them to back his successor.

“You’ve been the most fantastic experience of my life,” he said, as fans in the crowd of 75,572 fell silent to listen to the man who revived United following his arrival from Aberdeen in November 1986.

“My retirement doesn’t mean the end of my life with the club. I’ll be able to enjoy watching them, rather
than suffer with them. Your job now is to stand by our new manager.”

Everton manager Moyes will take over as manager on July 1, having signed a six-year contract, with Ferguson taking up a role as a director and ambassador.

Wenger prepares Arsenal for Wigan game

For Arsenal, failure to defeat Wigan Athletic today would leave their hopes of a 16th season in the Champions League in severe jeopardy; for Wigan Athletic, anything other than a win would quickly sour the taste of a memorable FA Cup final shock.

As end-of-season fixtures go, the clash at the Emirates could hardly have more importance to the two sides involved.

“Both teams will go for it, it’s a huge game for both of us,” Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger told reporters yesterday. “We are on a remarkable run and have been hugely consistent and our destiny is in our hands.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2013.