Fergie to face Rooney grilling

MANCHESTER United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was preparing to face a media grilling about his relationship with Wayne Rooney today amid growing speculation the England forward could be on his way to Manchester City.

The list of clubs who could realistically afford Rooney, who has informed the United hierarchy that he will not sign an extension to his contract, is pretty short.

Barcelona are said to be trying to trim back their outgoings, while their bitter rivals Real Madrid invested heavily this summer.

Bayern Munich spent considerable amounts last summer building a squad to suit Louis van Gaal. Here, only Chelsea or Manchester City would stump up the wages required to secure Rooney’s services.

The mere mention of City’s name will send a shudder through most United supporters, who acknowledge what a positive impact Carlos Tevez has had since his own move across town to Eastlands.

There has been some conjecture that Rooney’s advisors have come up with an elaborate plan to try to force more money out of United.