United planning Rooney deal
11 Aug 2006 - 14:10:16
Manchester United are hoping to persuade Wayne Rooney to sign a new contract to keep him at Old Trafford for the rest of his career.
The 20-year-old's current deal still has four years to run, but senior United officials already have plans to offer him a lucrative extension.
Sir Alex Ferguson said: "We want Wayne Rooney to stay here for a lifetime. He is a fantastic footballer. He has the energy, enthusiasm and desire to remain at the top.
"We have a group of good young players here and we want them to stay together for a long time. Without question, Wayne is part of that and I am pleased he is so enthusiastic to stay."
Rooney recently said that he hoped he would be able to see out his career with United, and the club's chief executive David Gill was delighted to hear his words.
"It is in our plans to talk to Wayne," Gill said. "But we will not put a deadline on it or a timing on it.
"Any player that says he wants to sign a contract is a positive sign and we will sit down and do something."
Gill also revealed that new signing Tomasz Kuszczak has agreed terms for a four-year stay at Old Trafford.
The Poland international goalkeeper has joined United on a season-long loan from West Brom, with a view to signing a three-year contract next summer if everything goes well in the next 12 months.