Left field
The Reuters global sports blog
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Breaking news: Rooney to stay at Manchester United
Well, what an extraordinary twist this is: Wayne Rooney has agreed a new five-year deal with Manchester United and is staying at Old Trafford after all. Here's the club statement:
Wayne Rooney has agreed a new 5 year contract to stay at Manchester United until at least June 2015.
The agreement follows intensive discussions between the Club and the player’s representatives and means that by the end of his contract Wayne will have been a Manchester United player for 11 years.
Sir Alex Ferguson said: “It’s been a difficult week, but the intensity of the coverage is what we expect at Manchester United. I said to the boy that the door is always open and I’m delighted Wayne has agreed to stay.
“Sometimes, when you’re in a club, it can be hard to realise just how big it is and it takes something like the events of the last few days to make you understand. I think Wayne now understands what a great club Manchester United is.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Will Rooney’s departure signal United’s decline?
Wayne Rooney's demand for a move away from Manchester United has stunned manager Alex Ferguson, especially given the striker's poor form and support the club have given him through personal problems.
After winning three successive Premier League titles with United and the 2008 Champions League, Rooney enjoyed his best personal season with the club in 2009-10 -- when his impressive tally of 34 goals in all competitions was only enough to bring the League Cup to Old Trafford.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Breaking news: Rooney wants to leave Manchester United, Ferguson shocked
England striker Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United, manager Alex Ferguson said on Wednesday.
"We are as bemused as anyone can be, we can't quite understand why he would want to leave," Ferguson told a news conference.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Rooney’s place on United periphery needs urgent resolution
In eight months Wayne Rooney has plummeted from "the best player in the world" to a substitute against West Bromwich Albion and his current position on the Old Trafford periphery will need to be sorted out very soon.
Manchester United's fans -- and their American owners -- do not expect the England striker to be warming the bench, particularly when the player says he is fit, even if manager Alex Ferguson says otherwise.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League podcast – 2
Wayne Rooney, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Karim Benzema and Juan Mata are among the strikers up for discussion in the latest edition of our Reuters Sports Champions League podcast. Kevin Fylan is joined by Ed Osmond, Owen Wyatt, Paul Radford and Mark Meadows.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Champions League, matchday 1 – live
Join us for updates on the Champions League:
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Reuters Champions League podcast
Join us for a look at the first round of matches in the 2010-11 Champions League. Paul Radford, Neil Maidment, Owen Wyatt and Mark Meadows chew the fat with host Kevin Fylan.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Deja vu all over again? Soccer romantics will hope so
‘Plus ca change’ was the defining refrain of the Premier League’s opening weekend, but football fans tired of the established order will hope déjà vu is lurking round the corner for Manchester United and Chelsea.
Neither the champions nor the runners-up broke sweat as they strolled to opening victories that pointed ominously to another two-horse race for the Premier League title.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Is there a way to stop end-of-season farces?
![RTR2DE1O[4]CHIVUSMALL](http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/files/2010/05/RTR2DE1O4CHIVUSMALL.jpg "RTR2DE1O[4]CHIVUSMALL")
AS Roma are absolutely livid after Inter Milan regained the lead in Serie A with a 2-0 win at Lazio, where the home fans cheered the goals as much as the away supporters.
Lazio fans hate Roma so much that many of them wanted their own side to lose on Sunday as it meant their bitter city rivals were knocked off top spot. This was despite the fact Lazio are not clear of relegation yet.
from Reuters Soccer Blog:
Will Liverpool do United a favour? See what our predictions panel thinks
Liverpool will not be keen on helping Manchester United in their title bid but a victory over Chelsea on Sunday could push the Reds closer to that fourth Champions League spot.
A real dilemma for Liverpool fans, already battered and bruised by a poor season and Thursday's Europa League semi-final elimination at the hands of Atletico Madrid.
