Sunday 29 January 2017 20:43, UK
Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho is trying to gradually ease striker Wayne Rooney out of Old Trafford, according to the Sunday Supplement panel.
Rooney recently broke Sir Bobby Charlton's goalscoring record with a late equaliser against Stoke City at the bet365 stadium, the player's 250th strike for the United.
However, despite still having a contract at Old Trafford that runs until June 30, 2019, Rooney is no longer Mourinho's first-choice frontman following the arrival at the club last summer of veteran forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
As a result, the England international - who joined United from Everton after Euro 2004 - has scored just twice in the Premier League this season, meaning Mourinho is now looking to move the 31-year-old on come the end of the campaign.
"Jose Mourinho has been looking for a way to gently phase Rooney out over this season, similarly to how he did with Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole on his return to Chelsea in 2013," said The Independent's Jack Pitt-Brooke.
I think they will find a way to shake hands and usher him out
"Equally, he doesn't want to do anything that can be seen as disrespectful to Rooney. He's played him a bit and allowed him to break the record, which is a fantastic achievement."
One possible destination mentioned for the England and United captain is the Chinese Super League, although Pitt-Brooke is not convinced that Rooney and his family will want to move to the Far East, with the MLS thought their more likely next port of call.
"Now that is done, I think they will find a way to shake hands and usher him out," he said. "The interesting thing will be how much Rooney, and his family, want to go to China, they've always been more interested in the MLS.
"It will probably be a lifestyle versus money trade-off when Rooney comes to decide."
