Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson dismissed media speculation that striker Wayne Rooney‘s days at Old Trafford were numbered after hewas not in the starting lineup for Tuesday’s United-Real Madrid game.
Rooney entered the game in the 73rd minute after United went 2-1 behind and was reduced to 10 men after thecontroversial dismissal of winger Nani.
“He will be here next year, you’ve got my word on that,” Ferguson told a news conference. “He will beinvolved on Sunday [against Chelsea in their FA Cup quarterfinal], no doubt about that. There is absolutely no issue between Wayne Rooney and I, to suggest wedon’t talk to each other on the training ground is absolute nonsense. He understood the reason for not playing him was completely tactical and I think we were right … [Danny] Welbeck is the best player we have in terms of operating in a double role.”