What does the future hold for Rooney?

Pic from: Sydney Morning Herald

Wayne Rooney's dramatic week ended with a him signing a new five-year deal, United will be delighted their best player is staying put, but what next for the 25 year-old? What were the incentives behind this incredible U-turn after he seemed so desperate to leave.

It appears Rooney became disillusioned and began questioning the direction of the club after the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez two seasons ago. Rooney claims he was promised new players would arrive but poaching Antonio Valencia from Wigan was perhaps not quite what he had in mind. As good as Valencia is, he's no Ronaldo.

You can understand Rooney's concerns particularly as United's golden generation are close to retirement. Losing the likes of Scholes, Giggs, Neville and Van der Sar in the next two years is a distinct possibility and replacing players of this calibre isn't easy, and certainly not cheap. Yet Rooney must have been assured that world class players will arrive in the near future for him to put pen to paper. But do the Glazer's have the financial power to lure players like Sneijder to the red-half of Manchester? Debts of around £750m suggest not.

Inevitably people believe Rooney simply wanted more money and was just being greedy. But I believe he panicked at the prospect of being caught at a club in decline. The transfer window saw the arrival of three young players but no 'big' names. Perhaps losing the battle to sign Mesut Ozil showed that the lure of United has faded somewhat.