Rooney still has a future at United, insists Cole

ANDY Cole hopes Wayne Rooney doesn’t use him as an example for reasons to leave Manchester United.

The immediate reaction to Rooney being left out of Sir Alex Ferguson’s starting line–up for last week’s Champions League defeat by Real Madrid was to question the striker’s future at the club.

If he did leave, it would mirror the situation Cole found himself in following the arrival of Ruud van Nistelrooy at Old Trafford in 2001.

At 30, he didn’t want to stay as a back–up player, so joined Blackburn.

Cole said: “I can understand how Wayne might feel. If I hadn’t been so headstrong and stubborn I could have stayed at United.

“You make decisions for a reason and that was simply because I wanted to play. But it was the wrong thing to do.”

Cole went on: “Wayne has got bags of ability and I don't think this is going to make any difference to how the manager sees him. He still has a massive future at Manchester United.”