Wayne Rooney’s Manchester United future in doubt

• Wayne Rooney may be sold by Manchester United as relationship between player and Sir Alex Ferguson deteriorates

• Rooney dropped for vital Real Madrid tie, which United lost 2-1

Sir Alex Ferguson’s decision to leave the England striker out of the game, which United lost 2-1, is believed to be a symptom of an increasingly fractured relationship between the two, centred around Rooney’s apparent lack of application in training and various weight and fitness issues.

According to the Independent, reports of tension between the two are most apparent at the club’s Carrington training ground, especially at the start of the season where Ferguson noted that Rooney “wasn’t as fit” as other players.

Ferguson may also be of the opinion that, at 27, Rooney’s peak has passed him by.

Rooney, who is on £250,000-a-week, would likely attract interest from Paris St Germain and Manchester City, who tried to sign Rooney three years ago - a move that prompted the Old Trafford hierarchy to smash their wage structure to retain the former Everton forward.

It is thought that any offer over £20 million would tempt United to sell in the summer, who would rather take £12 million off their wage bill and receive a transfer fee than allow Rooney to leave for nothing in 2015.