David Moyes is close to his first major triumph as Manchester United manager by agreeing a new contract with Wayne Rooney.
Rooney is due to sign a new five-and-a-half-year contract that will take his wages to around £300,000 a week, according to BBC Sport.
Moyes has had a turbulent first season at Old Trafford with his side currently 7th in the Premier League. They sit 15 points behind leaders Chelsea and 11 behind 4th placed Liverpool making Champions League qualification extremely unlikely.
However, persuading Rooney to sign a new contract will help appease many of the critical United supporters. So far they had been loyal to Moyes, but boos rang out after a recent 2-2 draw at home to bottom club Fulham.
It will prove to them that Moyes holds some appeal for world class players, while proving that his man-management skills are up to scratch. With a £200 million transfer fund waiting for him in the summer this was a crucial test. Could he handle big personalities, big names and big players? Well, it appears he certainly can.
There is no doubt that Moyes has been impressive in his handling of the Rooney situation.
The England striker seemed destined for the exit door following his break down in relationship with the club. This was largely due to his fall out with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson that resulted in Rooney submitting a transfer request. Add to that the spicy history that Moyes and Rooney share, then a move to big admirers Chelsea looked likely.
But by remaining firm in the summer and rejecting advances from Chelsea, Moyes gave himself a chance. He has since convinced Rooney in his methods, his thinking and his vision for the cub that he is the right man to lead United back to the top.
That has produced results on the pitch. Rooney was scintillating in the first half of the season before injury. He has scored 11 goals in 28 games so far, and contributed a further 9 assists.
Source: DSG
