Wayne Rooney will quit Manchester United if Jose Mourinho leaves him on bench, warns Paul Scholes
WAYNE ROONEY will quit Manchester United for good if Jose Mourinho leaves him on the bench.
That is the stark warning from Old Trafford icon Paul Scholes – who also backs the Portuguese to return the club to winning ways.
Paul Scholes believe Wayne Rooney will leave Man United if he is kept on the benchGetty Images
Rooney, the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, has struggled to stamp down a spot in the starting XI under Mourinho.
His place, once crystal clear, has been clouded by the emergence of Paul Pogba, Juan Mata and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Consequently, the big money offers have predictably come rolling in from China – as much as £1million per week.
And Scholes believes Rooney’s much-discussed departure could genuinely happen if he keeps being given bench-warming duties.
Asked if he can see him staying beyond two years, Scholes told the Daily Mail: “If it carries on going the way it is, I can’t.
Paul Scholes says being left on the bench will be ‘killing’ Wayne RooneyPA:Press Association
"Maybe it will be reassessed at the end of the season if he's in and out of the team.
"I don't see him as a player who will accept that. He will want to be at a team where he's playing every week.
"No one will be more frustrated than Wayne at not playing. Being a sub will be driving him up the wall.
"When he gets his chance he has to take it because he has real competition.
Wayne Rooney may have to get used to life on the sidelines if he wants to stay at UnitedPA:Press AssociationPaul Scholes has praised Jose Mourinho but admitted his line-ups could leave Wayne Rooney seeking football elsewhereReuters
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"It will be killing him just coming in for the Europa League or the FA Cup. But it's up to him to get his head down and prove he can play in the big games."
Scholes did heap praise on Mourinho though, saying he has rejuvenated a club that looked stuck in a rut under Louis van Gaal.
He added: "It's been a massive improvement from what we've seen in the last couple of years.
"The first two or three months weren't great but they've turned it around. There's a way of playing that the fans are enjoying.
"I watch them now and have no doubt they'll finish in the top four."
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