BREAKING DAMP SQUIB: Manchester United confirm 'no developments of note' on Rooney
By Nick Harris
21 October 2010
Manchester United have released a statement this evening about Wayne Rooney saying, errm, not a lot.
It says: "We are aware that there is intense public and media interest on the club at the moment, but there are no developments of note to report today. I can confirm a number of meetings have taken place today, including with the player's representative. The outcome of those meetings will become clear in the near future. In the meantime, fans are asked to be patient.”
After Ferguson said on Wednesday that he intended to "put to bed" the situation on Thursday, it was thought he might announce: a) that Rooney had signed a new contract; b) a sale of the player had been agreed; c) United were never going to play Rooney again, and were looking for offers; d) United remain committed to investing in players.
None of those options was really plausible, hence the damp squib.
Ferguson is certainly peeved at the perception that United haven't or don't want to buy players: he made inquiries about David Villa in the summer and would have bought him but the player wanted to go to Barcelona, for example. This is the player Ferguson was referring to in an interview last night when he spoke about a player not wanting to come to England.
Elsewhere tonight, there are no developments of note ...
... in the Palestinian peace process.
... in the search for a definitive and eternal solution to the location of the cradle of humanity.
... in confirming William Shakespeare's precise identity and ascertain which plays he did or didn't write.
.