Wayne Rooney is star defender as management firm sues him for £4.3million

The 24-year-old Manchester United star insisted Paul Stretford – who was convicted of misconduct charges and banned as an agent – was the man he wanted to lead negotiations with his club over a new contract.

Rooney appeared at Manchester Mercantile Court where he and wife Coleen and two of their companies are being sued by Mr Stretford's former company.

The contracts dispute was sparked when Mr Stretford left the company, called Proactive, in October 2008.

The football prodigy was signed by Mr Stretford in 2002 when he was 17 and playing for Everton in his native Liverpool.

Mr Stretford also began to represent Coleen, but trouble began in October 2008 when he left the firm in acrimony. Commission payments on the couple's earnings stopped being made.

Proactive claims the contract Mr Stretford signed with the Rooneys means it is entitled to further payments of 4.3m. But yesterday Rooney demonstrated his loyalty to Mr Stretford, whom he supported when he lost his job and was banned by the FA from acting as an agent.

Probed by Ian Mill, QC, for Proactive, on whether he believed Mr Stretford had been treated badly, the player sprang to his defence.

Mr Mill asked the player to recall that his agent had been investigated by the FA in 2008 and things "did not go well" for Mr Stretford as he was found guilty of a number of misconduct charges.

The lawyer reminded Rooney his agent appealed against the decision by the FA – but his appeal was rejected.

"And doubtless he still maintained his innocence?" Mr Mill asked.

"Of course," Rooney replied.

"Of course because you trusted him implicitly?" Mr Mill said.

"Yes," replied the footballer.

Mr Mill told Rooney that at around the same time, the FA investigated Mr Stretford, Proactive terminated his contract.

"Doubtless he said he felt he had been treated very badly?" Mr Mill said. "He told you his side of the story and you accepted it?"

"Yes," Rooney again replied.

"What if the court was to find Mr Stretford had not been telling you the truth?" Mr Mill said.

"If that was the case, would that in any way be likely to affect your attitude to whether or not Mr Stretford should get commission from you?" he asked.

"Er, has that actually happened?" Rooney replied. "I didn't think Proactive could provide the services. Nobody from Proactive called me to say 'we can provide the services for you'."

That was because Rooney's lawyers had told Proactive not to contact him, said Mr Mill.

Rooney replied: "Before Mr Stretford was basically sacked, nobody explained he was going to be sacked and that they could still do things for me."

The court heard that as well as squaring sponsorship deals with global brands, Mr Stretford provided "round the clock assistance". The court heard that Rooney's manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, extended his famous attention to detail over "all aspects" of players' lives and had specified Rooney could have no more than five sponsorship deals.

Mr Mill asked him: "You're allowed five sponsorship deals. What's that based on?"

"It is based on what my manager tells me," replied Rooney, whose wife Coleen will not be giving evidence.