United on the Wayne?

'Once a blue, always a blue'.

A cheap shot for Kopites and a source of bitterness for the Goodison faithful. Yet, when Wayne Rooney made the short move up the M62, he became an instant legend. All of a sudden, the blue became a red. And was worshipped.

Don't get me wrong, this would have happened at whatever club Rooney joined, and probably will in whatever foreign clime he ends up in. Which of course leaves the mouthwatering prospect of him teaming up with his old team-mate Carlos Tevez at the Costa del Eastlands. That's probably the only thing that would further anger the fans that made him one of their [Scouse] own.

Rooney is a player of undoubted quality. 30-odd goals last season were a major step forward for him and for Manchester United. At times unplayable, he tortured defences nation and Europe-wide. The 'white Pele' was seemingly the man who would lead United back to title and European Cup success over the coming years. Then came that ankle injury against Bayern Munich, and whatever else besides. And then came that World Cup, and whatever else besides. So what went wrong? Where did communications break down? Step forward Sir Alex.

Sir Alex Ferguson is a master in his era - a genuine legend of the game. Part of me thinks that today's comments were simply another reason to be in awe of this man's many masterclasses. Rooney was well and truly pushed into the Old Trafford limelight without being in sight - go on Wayne, what say you?

Sir Alex has left Rooney with the most difficult of tasks in explaining the situation, and there is simply no easy way to explain why you are leaving the fans who love you and you claim to love. He has also claimed to have left the door open for Rooney, that the ball is in his court. Let's be clear here, Sir Alex rubber-stamped Rooney's exit today.

"The one thing I said to him was 'respect this club, I don't want any nonsense from you'," said Sir Alex. And therein is the one thing that seems to have been forgotten in this furore.

Wayne Rooney needs Manchester United more than Manchester United need Wayne Rooney.

Unless, of course, United are now a selling club. Unless the money paid for his transfer goes towards servicing debt rather than straight into the kitty. United might not need him, but they do need a world-class replacement.

Where else in the world would Rooney have received the guidance and support that he has done at Old Trafford? What other manager in the world would have shown the patience to allow the raw talent mature into a world-beater, even amongst the shows of petulance? Where else on this planet would Rooney have been learning from esteemed team-mates such as Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes? And where else would a manager have shielded him from the outside world in times of trouble as many times as Sir Alex?

Yes, he was superb last season. But let's not forget that until last season, he hadn't come close to scoring 20 league goals in a season. Manchester United have won three league titles and a European Cup with Wayne Rooney scoring no more than 23 goals in all competitions in a season. That can be replaced.

It would be unfair to blame all this on the allegations about his private life. We will all have our opinions, and mine is that Rooney has been so poor this season [and at the World Cup] that it must have had some effect - not only on his performances, but also on his reasons for wanting to leave United.

He may indeed still love the club, but the petulance still exists, as shown when Rooney completely undermined his manager last week. And the subsequent comments by Sir Alex may have just undermined Wayne Rooney's legendary status at Manchester United.

'Once a liar, always a liar?'