Sir Bobby Charlton still hopes Wayne Rooney eclipses his Manchester United goalscoring record despite the striker again hankering for a move away from Old Trafford.
Rooney requires 52 to catch Charlton's 249 United goals and is just three off becoming only the fourth player in their history to reach the double century.
In addition to Charlton, that would put him in the company of Denis Law and wartime marksman Jack Rowley.
Yet the prospect of Rooney even achieving the latter feat look slim given his present stand-off with the Red Devils.
United insist the 27-year-old is not for sale, a stance set to be tested again by Chelsea before the transfer window closes on September 2.
And Charlton hopes the present impasse is resolved before then.
"Wayne Rooney is a Manchester United player and I think that he will continue to be a Manchester United player," said Charlton, who was speaking during a visit to the Laureus-supported Operation Breakthrough project.
"We are not silly enough to make any rash decisions.
"I don't like losing really good players and he is a really, really good player.
"I was hoping one day that he might score as many goals as I had and that would have been really nice if it was at our club. I'm still thinking that way."
Source: PA
