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Wayne Rooney will seek assurances from Sir Alex Ferguson over his role with Manchester United before committing to a new contract at Old Trafford this summer.
Negotiations over whether to extend the England forward’s £250,000-a-week deal will begin in the next few weeks amid huge uncertainty over Rooney’s future. His main concern is likely to be where he will play now Robin van Persie has established himself as the club’s first-choice striker.
Rooney has been played out of position several times this season and the possibility of United manager Ferguson continuing to use him in a utility role will increase if United land Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski or Atletico Madrid’s Radamel Falcao.
Key man? Wayne Rooney's Old Trafford future is in doubt
England’s leading striker has played in midfield recently and that is bound to raise concerns with the World Cup just over a year away and qualification far from certain.
As well as dropping Rooney to the bench for the Champions League clash with Real Madrid in March, Ferguson substituted him for the fourth time in five games on Sunday at Arsenal — a scenario that would have been unthinkable not so long ago.
There is little doubt Rooney would prefer to stay, but it would be understandable if the 27-year-old wants to be sure he is making the right move as he negotiates the last big contract of his career.
United, for their part, will also seek a firm commitment from Rooney as they consider whether to cash in on a player who has two years left on his contract or to offer him another deal.
Rival? The arrival of Robin van Persie has lessened Rooney's importance to United
He has already been linked with Paris Saint-Germain but Chelsea and Manchester City would be more likely destinations if United decide to sell.
Either way, talks with Rooney’s representatives are not expected to drag on, with both sides keen to reach a resolution.
United certainly hold more of the cards than they did two-and-a-half years ago, when Rooney questioned the club’s ambition before signing a new contract.
Ferguson believes United will be able to compete in the transfer market this summer even though they lack the spending power of some rivals. He confirmed the new champions have targets in place as they look to build on this season’s success.
Prolific: Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao is wanted by Europe's biggest clubs
Target? Robert Lewandowski of Borussia Dortmund could also head to Old Trafford
Ferguson said: ‘We’re not Chelsea or Manchester City in terms of money but we’re competitive. We’ve been doing a bit of work over the last three or four months, targeting who could make us better or help us maintain the level we’re at. Hopefully the players we bring into the club in the next year or so will be of the quality we need.’
United could promote Adnan Januzaj to the bench before the end of the season after giving the 18-year-old Belgian midfielder a squad number.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s second-biggest shareholder Alisher Usmanov has claimed owner Stan Kroenke does not care about ending the club’s trophy drought.
Kroenke is set to hand Arsene Wenger £70million to spend this summer, but the Uzbek said: ‘He does not show any wish to (create a winning team). The team has no superstars now. Kroenke would probably be happy (to finish third or fourth).
