Manchester United stick to Rooney story

The implications of what has been reported could be major for Manchester United's fortunes.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson deftly parried allegations reporting his strained relationship with Wayne Rooney as he and the club maintained that Wayne Rooney missed the game against Blackburn for fitness reasons.

Wayne Rooney was not even part of the squad that faced a surprise 2-3 defeat against Blackburn on Saturday as Alex Ferguson was forced to name five untested youngsters on the bench.

The striker watched the game from an executive box alongside with two other players, Darron Gibson and Jonny Evans, who had accompanied Rooney on a night out on Boxing Day after the 5-0 win over Wigan.

It has been reported that Ferguson got wind of the night out, and ordered the players to do extra training on Wednesday, which was supposed to be their day off and then told them they would not be involved on Saturday.

Rooney and Gibson are reported to have trained in the morning before heading to Old Trafford to see their team-mates fail to assume top spot in the Premier League, as had been anticipated.

However Alex Ferguson maintained that Rooney missed the game due to fitness concerns. “Wayne hasn’t trained well this week, he’s missed a few days and we’re hoping that he trains today, tomorrow and by Wednesday, he should be okay. It’s little strains here and there.”

While this might bring delight to Manchester United fans as they will be able to see their star player against Newcastle midweek and Manchester City next weekend, some believe the future of the club rests on the implications of the Rooney-Ferguson relationship.

Rooney wanted a transfer last week considering his long-term future but Manchester United finally managed to extend his contract.

Alex Ferguson turned 70 on Saturday.