Source: Daily_Mail
Wayne Rooney: I'm going to stay with Manchester United
[LNB]Wayne Rooney insists he has no plans to leave Old Trafford after his former Everton coach claimed the Manchester United striker will one day join Real Madrid or Barcelona.[LNB]Rooney stunned United last season by asking to quit the club because he believed they could no longer match his ambitions, but then performed a dramatic U-turn and signed a new five-year deal.[LNB]However Tony Farrell, who helped shape Rooney's early career at the Everton youth academy more than a decade ago, believes the 25-year-old's ambition will eventually take him to one of the Spanish giants.[LNB] High flyer: Wayne Rooney attempts an acrobatic strike against New England Revolution[LNB]Speaking to the Boston Globe ahead of the first game of United's pre-season tour against New England Revolution, Farrell - who now coaches youth teams in Massachusetts - said: 'Wayne always had the potential but I personally think he's going to be even better.[LNB]'Is he going to be at Manchester United forever? Personally, I think he's going to move on to Barcelona or Real Madrid. I think he's going to want to challenge himself.'[LNB]Rooney issued a swift response via his Twitter account to dispel any fresh doubts over his future at United, writing: 'I'm not going to leave mufc for barca or Madrid. I'm happy at united and will be at united for a long long time.' [LNB] Happy to stay: Rooney shares a joke with Anderson in Boston[LNB]The United star, who played in the first half of United's 4-1 win over New England, also insisted it was time to look forward not back at the Champions League final defeat against Barcelona.[LNB]'You have to draw a line under what happened at Wembley,' he said. 'You have to look forward, not back.[LNB]'We need to look at the trophies we will be competing for and hopefully by the end of next season, we will have some silverware.'[LNB]United boss Sir Alex Ferguson will have plenty of striking options in the new season. Michael Owen and Federico Macheda both put their names on the scoresheet, Dimitar Berbatov is pledging to regain the form that saw his grab a share of last season's Golden Boot, while Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez are due to fly in later in the month.[LNB]Rooney views that situation as a positive, saying: 'Competition is good. It keeps everyone on their toes.It is exciting to have so many strikers. It means everyone will have tobe on top of their game to keep their place in the team.'[LNB]Rooney also had praise for United new boy Ashley Young, who joined from Aston Villa earlier in the summer.[LNB]Young made a winning debut for Unitedin Boston, and Rooney said: 'Ashley has settled in well. Everyone knowswhat Ashley is capable of. He put some excellent crosses in tonight andwe are looking forward to playing a few more games with him.[LNB]'We have an exciting young team now. Hopefully we can bring more success to the club.'[LNB] New boy: Ashley Young made his United debut in Boston on Wednesday night[LNB]Meanwhile, teammate Michael Owen has revealed why he decided to stay for a third year at United rather than seek more first-team football at a smaller club.[LNB]It was widely expected that Owen would leave this summer after the emergence of Javier Hernandez meant the former England striker hardly featured during his second year at OldTrafford, but Owen agreed a new one-year deal and is confident he will have a greater role to play in the new campaign.[LNB]Hesaid: 'The option is there to go to a lesser club and play more often but I'd prefer to play in a top team with all the things that come with it.[LNB]'You want to be playing at the best club - I'm at that - and you want to be training with the best players and under the best manager, and I'm certainly doing that. You want to play at the best stadiums and in big games and obviously it's near to where I live, so there are lots of positives.[LNB] On the ball: Michael Owen in action for United against New England Revolution[LNB] 'The only slight negative is the amount I played last season. The first season was great and had some great moments - scoring in the Carling Cup Final, the goal against Manchester City and the hat-trick in Wolfsburg.[LNB]'Last year wasn't quite so good, but the manager has spoken to me and said I'll be firmly in his plans this season and he expects me to play a lot more.'[LNB]United have been named by Forbes magazine as the most valuable sports team in the world for the third year in a row despite debts of ?475m.[LNB]Forbes estimate that United's continued success on and off the pitch, as well as a new shirt sponsorship deal with Aon worth ?20m-a-season over four years, means the club is worth ?1.165billion.[LNB]Arsenal and Real Madrid also feature in a top 10 that is dominated by NFL teams.[LNB]FORBES MAGAZINE TOP 10: 1 Manchester United ?1.165billion, 2 Dallas Cowboys ?1.13bn, 3 New York Yankees ?1.06bn, 4 Washington Redskins ?960million, 5 Real Madrid ?900m, 6 New England Patriots ?850m, 7 Arsenal ?740m, 8 New York Giants ?734m, 9 Houston Texans ?727m, 10 New York Jets ?708m.[LNB] CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE FANTASY FOOTBALL GAMESneijder agrees United deal after Glazers sanction ?35m bid for Inter midfielderEvans unfazed by Jones arrival at Man United and relishing competitionAll the latest Manchester United news, features and opinion[LNB]
