The only place to be

He's sad that a friend is retiring. Which part of that do you not understand? Take a step back from the computer screen, wipe your saliva off of it and read it again.

No, anyone with the ability to read or even listen knows what he meant by this. You seem to be the ONLY person confused. Again.

No, that seems to be exactly what he meant. "When Sir Alex called me to give me the honour of knowing from him his decision, I was surprised and sad," the Real Madrid boss said. "At the same time, I was happy to feel his emotion, and pride for such an amazing career. "It will be difficult for me, and I think all managers, to go to Old Trafford and play against Manchester United, without this mythical figure waiting for us.

But we are trying to be more sensible in this regard. Malouda and Benayoun will be gone (as might Lamps) and the players we sign are done with a focus on value. A substitute defender (which is what he has become) on £8 million per year doesn't make much sense. Couldn't we use that £16 million to help buy a new defender who will play the first 70 minutes, and maybe even defend for the last 20 too? Personally I think this story is bullshit, and my first reaction was that Galatasaray surely aren't that stupid. If your reaction was similar, doesn't that tell you where John Terry is at this point in his career?

He's out of contract next summer, he costs £160,000 p/w and he hasn't played much this season. Maybe Jose thinks he can use him again next season but £8 million (plus the same in saved wages) at least requires consideration doesn't it?

Maybe in his early days. I'm starting to think he's massively underrated having read some of the comments on here lately. I don't think there's been an England player in the last decade who works his arse of as much as him. He tracks back more than any striker I can think of. Also, he's accepted reduced roles on at least TWO occasions to make the team better which doesn't suggest to me that he's got a 'horrible' attitude. I can think of one or two players who are considered saints who haven't exactly done the same. By the way, 12 HOURS AND 31 MINUTES. That's how long Robin Van Persie went without a goal at on point this season. Of course Rooney isn't the goal scorer he 'once was' (by that I'm assuming you mean less than 12 months ago) because he's playing in a deeper role where he scores a goal roughly every other game. That ratio is up there with players who are up-front every week. Actually that's almost exactly how many headers he scored when he was playing a more advanced role in 2010. It was an area of his game he actually worked on and dramatically improved (bad attitude?). Look, there are plenty of things to dislike about Rooney and there are legitimate concerns about his fitness which makes me wonder why some people have to focus on his looks or make up stuff about him. There's this whole myth that's grown around him over the last few years that simply doesn't reflect the truth. Calling him overrated is like calling Drogba overrated.

I read somewhere that Roman is a 'businessman'. Maybe he's 'negotiating' rather than simply paying the asking price? Couldn't agree more. It's a different challenge this time around, but there's massive opportunities to build something BIG here over the next decade or so. He could maybe spend 20 years here and beat Fergie's record then go off to manage Portugal. I can't see him doing that anytime soon though simply because I think he'd get bored. International football is interesting for about 2 months every couple of years.

You're right that he's got that will to win and he's a big game player in my opinion. He could have the same impact on the team that Drogba did, and he also contributed to Ronaldo's success at United both in terms of what he did in match situations but also simply by taking a slightly different role where he wasn't the focus of the team. What he has over someone like Falcao is that I think he'll make people like Hazard better.

What I would love to see, wherever he goes, is a concerted effort from the guy to get in great shape. He can't do what Ashley Cole does in the off-season because of his body type, but if it was contractually stipulated that he get his ass in the best possible shape then it would do him a world of good. People sometimes forget that he's spent about 9 years at United too. In that time he's been shifted around to accomodate other players to the extent that I think he just feels a little undervalued (which is insane for someone who earns so much, but it happens in all walks of life). But there seems to be this myth about him that's built up over the years, and one that I've probably bought into as much as anyone. People seem to think he hasn't fulfilled his potential, yet he still has a fantastic record. What we're looking at here is him approaching his second chapter. If he gets a fresh start then it's entirely up to him how he's remembered because he has so much talent, but he just has to apply it. I think everyone here supporting this deal is looking at the possibility of a rejuvenated, reinvigorated, in-shape Rooney arriving on a (relatively) bargain price. He's a fighter who doesn't disappear in big games and he'll have something to prove if United decide to sell him. We might not buy him but would you want us to have to play against him if that happens?

I'll give you a choice. I can either say he's scored 50 goals over the last two seasons or that last season he scored 27 goals in 34 league games. Which one sounds more like he's been shit for the past two seasons? For that striker who will DEFINITELY be very good for us? There isn't one.

It's possible. The problem then is having a team with both him and Luiz in it....Two marauding centre-halves is going to give half the crowd heart-attacks. I also think that Ake is going to face the same issue in the next couple of seasons.

Too many mistakes. Couldn't disagree more and I've watched him a fair few times this season and know people who go to Watford week in and week out. But we'll just have to agree to disagree on that one.

So he has a bad game and he's now in the wrong position? He's a great passer of the ball. He always has been and he's one of those players who more often than not puts players into better positions. That entire Watford performance was pretty poor last night and they looked completely directionless, but Nat had a bad one too. They all looked like they were still in shock from the last game which can happen to teams who finish third in that league. But that doesn't change my view of him. He's a fairly unique player right now who has the ability to sit and pull the strings from a deeper position or drive the team forward in a more advanced/box-to-box role. Last night he didn't seem to have any particular instructions, at times going forward at will and leaving gaps. I think something that perhaps get overlooked is that Zola might just be a very average manager, and that's fine because he was a brilliant player. Turning Julian Dicks inside and out doesn't mean he'll be the next Sacchi. Hey a dig at me....I'll re-write my comment though in the hopes that it gets through this time. I said he could be a bolter for that squad if he comes in and has a good season because at the moment he is capable of doing things that very few English players can do. His competition for that deep midfield role are players like Rodwell, Barry and Jones, so there's plenty of opportunity for a wildcard to come in and win a spot.

Good point. He is overly ugly. It's a point that usually doesn't get raised enough when assessing football players but shaggability is an important factor. Why it isn't a metric on whoscored, opta, fifa or footie manager I don't know. Now Ian Walker....there was a fine looking young man. Blonde flowing locks and model good looks. Really we should be trying to emulate the Spice Boys period of mid-90s Liverpool if we want to be a success going forward.

Yes but SWP turned out great because he wasn't overweight. I think it's fair to acknowledge that Rooney isn't coming off his best season and that he needs a fresh start. He's been at United for 9 years and been marginalised on occasion yet still produced some amazing seasons. I think in the right environment under the right coach he can absolutely get back to his 30+ goal a season form of 12 months ago.

He's also proven in the Champions League isn't he? I know it's easy to make shitty jokes that lack substance but let's not go overboard eh? Lewandowski has to be in the discussion because he has had two amazing seasons in the Bundesliga. Rooney also has to be in the discussion though because he is a proven quality striker who could also fit into our team.

Good luck to him. Porto, Atletico, Monaco....make that money and never get found out.

He might be. He might also be the guy who has scored 30+ goals in the last two seasons when he was played primarily as a striker. He's apparently considerably cheaper than Cavani and Falcao whilst being roughly the same age as those two. He's looked like he's lacked motivation for a while now and a change in environment could reinvigorate him. As for being a Chelsea striker, I would've thought we need a striker who doesn't just score goals but helps other players to score goals. Yet you've suggested Falcao. I look at Rooney and I see how he makes Hazard and Mata better players. I look at Falcao this season and he's only made Falcao look good so why should we play at least £10 million more for a player who is roughly the same age and has ZERO experience in the Premier League and about HALF the Champions League experience of Rooney?

Where would you like to play a player who has scored 100 goals over the last four seasons?

You weren't alone in having a moment of fear. I felt sick for a bit when the links to Mourinho started coming out. Everyone needs a bit of a meltdown every now and then.

How is he finished as a player? He's had a tough season where he's been played out of position because of the signing of Van Persie. Yes he's only scored 16 goals but do you know what happened the last time he scored 16 goals (and people wrote him off)? He went and scored 34 goals the next season. That's 27 goals in 34 ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE matches. But we should sign a world class forward? Who? Falcao is 27 years old and his record this year - 27 goals in 32 matches. He also has 1 assist which is just 9 less than Rooney this season.

Blah blah blah....Must win.....Blah blah blah....strong team.....blah blah blah.....just end the season now....blah blah. Sorry, but is anyone just about as fed up of the same fucking shit as I am. I'm not going to write what I think this match will end because it could be depressing, nor am I going to try and guess the team because beyond Ba and Cech it could be literally anyone. It would be nice if for the first time this season that we took a chance to end this crap though. I don't care how it happens, I just want us to put some of this shit to bed. I want to enjoy at least one moment this season.

Despite all the shit that's going on this season, this guy's progression has been an amazing bright spot. He's approaching Zola-levels of play when it comes to his ability to take any ball, control it, beat the first man and then pass it to a player in a way that puts them in the best position to take it forward. What really impressed me yesterday was a moment in the first-half when he tracked back about 40 yards to tackle Holtby on the edge of our box, and then brought the ball forward himself. He's such a hard-worker and that's something that wasn't nearly as prevalent at the start of the season. He provides a directness that we simply don't have anywhere else on the pitch and he's already one of our most important players. I just want this season over so I can start looking forward to what this guy can do next season.

Changing my mind slightly. He's the same age as Falcao, but the price is roughly half. He's proven in the Premier League and I think he really needs a change of environment to try and regain that enthusiasm that he once had. An invigorated Rooney under Mourinho could be a different beast from the one of the last few seasons (where he still managed to score 100 goals in 4 years). Plus he's more versatile than any other option in that he can drop back into the number 10 spot and maybe take some of the pressure off of Mata, which also allows us to play with either Lukaku or Ba up-front. But there's a lot of ifs and buts involved. I still think he needs to work on his fitness (a summer under Rui Faria might do him the world of good) but it's easy to forget that he's still one of the best players around on his day and if we can offload Torres then £25 million is a decent price considering Van Persie went for roughly the same price last year.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/sport/football/clubs/manchesterunited/article3759033.ece David Moyes will be named as the new manager of Manchester United in the next 24 hours. The Barclays Premier League champions have agreed to appoint the Everton manager as Sir Alex Ferguson’s replacement at Old Trafford.