Wayne Rooney has agreed a new five-and-a-half year contract with Manchester United worth around £300,000 a week.
Rooney will extend his current contract by four years, tying him to the club until June 2019.
Under-fire manager David Moyes will likely breathe a sigh of relief that the club has managed to tie Rooney down, after struggling to find positives in a frustrating season.
The England international joined the Red Devils from Everton in August 2004 for £25.6million.
The fresh-faced 18 year old was an immediate hit, scoring a hat-trick in his United and Champions League debut against Fenerbahce.
The volatile forward has been a regular in United’s first team ever since, but his relationship with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson has appeared somewhat strained over the last few years.
Rooney looked set to leave Old Trafford last summer after Ferguson claimed Rooney had asked for a transfer – the second time in his United career – but Rooney has always denied this.
Returning Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho publicly courted the English forward all summer, and made more than one bid rejected by United.
David Moyes, who had previously nurtured Rooney at Everton, stayed firm that Rooney was not for sale at any price, and was able to keep him from Chelsea’s grasps.
The faith Moyes placed in Rooney seemed to play dividends, with the striker starting the season in scintillating form, before getting side-lined through injury.
In September of last year, Rooney became only a handful of players to score 200 goals for the club.
Rooney currently sits on 208 goals in all competitions from 430 appearances, and is only 42 goals shy of passing Bobby Charlton’s record total of 249 for United.
Image courtesy of Jason Cairnduff, via Action Images, with thanks.
