Rooney reveals name of race horse- Switcharooney!

Wayne Rooney has named his new race horse Switcharooney. 

The Manchester United striker followed in the footsteps of manager Sir Alex Ferguson and team-mate Michael Owen after splashing out on the £63,000 two-year-old colt shortly before Christmas.

Rooney, who was at Manchester Airport on Wednesday morning ahead of United's Europa League tie at Ajax, had originally wanted to name the horse Oceans Seven. 

But the England star was forced to change, or indeed pull the old switcheroo, after that name had already been registered.

Rooney shares ownership of the horse with his wife Coleen which probably explains the pink and white silks.

Rod Street, Chief Executive of Racing for Change, said: 'You can bet that these names will go in every punter's notebook.  

'Rooney has a great strike rate so it's hard to imagine that his nags won't score as well.' 

Own added on Twitter: 'After weeks of indecision, Wazza has decided to call his horse Switcharooney! Let's hope he is a good un!'

Rooney has sights set on scoring records

Wayne Rooney has his sights set on breaking goal scoring records.

The England striker is now joint sixth and level with Joe Spence on 168 on the Red Devils' list after he bagged a brace in the 2-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday.

And Rooney, 26, has vowed to stay at Old Trafford long enough to pass Bobby Charlton's record haul of 249.

He said: "Just seen I'm sixth on the all-time scoring records at Manchester United.

"Not sure if it's true but if it is I am very proud. My aim is to win more trophies and become all-time leading scorer at the club.

"It would be amazing...81 more!"

Rooney: I'll keep taking spotkicks

Wayne Rooney says he'll keep taking their spotkicks.

Despite missing his last two penalties - against Manchester City and Bolton, Rooney is still confident of taking another.

"I will still take them," he said. "These things happen. Sometimes you miss.

"It is not nice but it is not something I worry about happening again."

Manchester United insist Wayne Rooney is not for sale amidst claims Sir Alex Ferguson is ready to let star striker leave Old Trafford

Manchester United and Wayne Rooney have issued a joint statement denying a newspaper report which claims the England striker is set to leave the club.

The Independent released a front-page story and four-page spread on Saturday which claimed Sir Alex Ferguson was ready to let his player leave the club after the Scot had "lost control" over the player. 

The paper citied the alleged "Christmas bust-up" between the pair, where Rooney reportedly turned up for training in a poor condition following a night out on Boxing Day, as the main reason for the Scot's willingness to part with the England international.

The Independent also claims that Ferguson had not entirely forgiven the striker over his antics last season where he demanded a move away from Old Trafford after stating the club had a lack of ambition in the transfer market. 

Rooney moved to deny the story on Twitter, writing: "The Independent are talking absolute rubbish. My future is with Manchester United - the club and I are totally committed to each other.

"The manager and I have no issues and anyone who says different doesn't know what they are talking about."

Before the newspaper report was published, United acted quickly to dismiss the speculation insisting their player is not on his way out of the club. They released a joint statement alongside Rooney's managerial group on their official website.

The statement read: "Manchester United and Wayne Rooney have been made aware of the theme of an article in tomorrow's Independent newspaper.

"We have not seen the detail but can assure all United fans that the Manager and the Club are committed to Wayne Rooney and Wayne is committed to the Manager and the Club.

"The player and the Manager have always had and retain, the utmost respect for each other and look forward to working together in the coming seasons.

"Any suggestion that Manchester United and Wayne Rooney are to part company is complete nonsense."

Rooney was involved in an infamous transfer saga last year, which resulted in him eventually signing a long-term contract after a public war of words with the club, where he questioned their ambition in the transfer market and handed in a request to leave.

United are in action against fierce rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup on Sunday and all eyes will be on Rooney after this latest dramatic turn of events.

The striker's wife, Coleen Rooney, responded to the report via Twitter, saying: "...... No wonder there is a major enquiry regarding the press when you see the rubbish they put on there [sic] front pages!!!

Rooney accepts Man Utd fine for poor training performance

Wayne Rooney has been fined one week’s wages for putting in a poor performance at training following a night out on Boxing Day.

The England international went out for a meal and some drinks with Darron Gibson and Jonny Evans with the trio performing poorly at training the next day.

Sir Alex Ferguson dropped all three players from his squad for the clash with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, which they lost 3-2, and it has been revealed by BBC Sport that Rooney was hit with a fine which he has accepted.

Fergie dropped Rooney for Blackburn match

 Wayne Rooney was dropped for yesterday’s defeat to Blackburn Rovers.

The Sunday Mirror says a boozy Boxing Day night out saw the striker dropped for yesterday’s shock 3-2 defeat against ­Blackburn.

Manchester United 2-3 Blackburn: Yakubu brace ruins Fergie's party

Ferguson ditched his star man when he discovered that Rooney had gone out on the town to ­celebrate the 5-0 win over Wigan with team-mates Jonny Evans, Darron Gibson and their partners.

The United boss took the ­decision despite being hit by an injury and illness crisis.

Rooney, 26, was stunned to be told he was being dropped and that his sense of injustice ­deepened when he was informed he would also be hit with a club fine.

Kai Rooney is king of the road at Christmas in his gleaming £500 first car

The couple gave their son Kai this £500 two-seater silver and red motorised Jeep for Christmas.

It has two different speed settings, rear suspension, a working FM radio and a tool box for any breakdowns.

Mrs Rooney, 25, posted a photograph on Twitter showing Kai – dressed as Buzz Lightyear from the film Toy Story – in the driving seat of his new motor, proudly calling him ‘king of the road’.

She said: ‘Up bright and early, had to wake Kai up and he weren’t to [sic] happy haha!! But we wanted to open presents before @WayneRooney went Training!!

‘Kai soon woke up & was king of the rd at 7am. Been to see my lovely grandad in hospital, can’t wait for our dinner!!’

The two-year-old is a big fan of the Toy Story films and was dressed in a Woody outfit for his Christening earlier this year, while last week his mother tweeted further pictures of him dressed as an elf playing with a Buzz Lightyear doll.

Husband Mr Rooney, 26, had to leave the family’s Cheshire mansion in the morning for a training session because he is due to play for Manchester United against Wigan tomorrow afternoon.

The footballer admitted he would rather be spending his Christmases in Barbados than the north of England.

He explained when he retires he will be spending his winters on the Caribbean island where he owns a £5million holiday home.

He added: ‘I’ve been there a lot of times and it’s my favourite destination to go on holiday.

‘I’ve obviously never had the chance to go there over Christmas, with playing football, so I think when I’ve finished playing, that’s definitely somewhere I would go over Christmas.’

Kai may hope to upgrade his new off-roader for the real thing when he’s a bit older – following in the footsteps of his mother and father.

The pair both own a host of SUV vehicles, including a Cadillac Escalade and a Chrysler.

Mr Rooney also bought a Hummer – a civilian version of a U.S. army off road vehicle - and a BMW X5 4X4 car.

Mrs Rooney has her own customised silver Range Rover worth around £100,000 and the couple have a range of other high-performance, and expensive, cars including an Aston Martin, a Bentley and an Audi TT.

In total, they are believed to have spent around £1million on cars over the past five years.

Rooney buys himself a race horse

 Wayne Rooney has followed teammate Michael Owen into the horse trade.

The Daily Mail says Rooney has splashed out on a new racehorse - and has chosen racing colours of pink with white sleeves and hooped cap, suggesting it could be an early Christmas present for wife Coleen.

The year-old colt is in training at the Cheshire stable of Rooney’s team-mate Michael Owen and cost £63,000 at the Tattersall sales.

The Manchester United striker visited the stables on Monday and a spokesman said: "I can confirm Wayne and Coleen have bought the horse."

The unnamed colt - son of sire Bahamian Bounty - could be racing by the spring.

Rooney explains going missing from Twitter

 Wayne Rooney admits he's been missing from Twitter for the past fortnight - because he forgot his log in details!

Rooney’s two million-plus followers had begun to wonder what had happened to their fleet-fingered hero.

But now he’s back on line and determined to speak to as many fans as possible. He revealed: “I changed my phone and forgot the password, so I was locked out of my twitter account.

“I go through all my own messages. It can take a whole day but it makes the fans realise you are a normal person.“

But he added: “Every single day you get people abusing you, but you have to be strong and ignore them.”

Ferguson: Players have no chance in quiz with Rooney on team!

 Sir Alex Ferguson is confident staff will have it over the players in this year's annual club quiz.

Ryan Giggs recruited Wayne Rooney and defender Jonny Evans after Ferguson revealed he failed to get two of the club's key backroom staff on board.

Ferguson told Inside United magazine: "We’ve got a club quiz in early December and Ryan Giggs is frantically trying to recruit the two brightest brains in the squad — Dr Steve McNally and assistant head physio Neil Hough — to go up against me."

But when he found out 25-year-old Rooney was enlisted, Ferguson joked: "Come on, we want some competition! Can you believe that?"

He added: "We did one on MUTV last year against Giggsy, Gary Neville and Michael Carrick. They were hopeless!

"This year Giggs has roped Jonny Evans and Wayne Rooney into it.

"To be fair, Jonny Evans is a bright lad. He got something like ten GCSEs, so we’ll have to keep an eye on him."

Wayne Rooney's spectacular bicycle kick against Manchester City nominated for Fifa's 2011 goal of the year award

 Wayne Rooney has been shortlisted for Fifa’s goal of the year award for his spectacular overhead kick against Manchester City last season.

Rooney's goal, which came from a Nani cross against United's fierce rivals in a 2-1 win at Old Trafford, left Joe Hart with no chance as it flew into the top corner.

Tottenham's Giovani dos Santos, Barcelona's Lionel Messi and AC Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic, as well as Santos and Brazil starlet Neymar, have all also been nominated for the prestigious Puskas award.

Dos Santos' floated chip scored for Mexico against the United States ensured he was part of the elite 10 nominated, Messi for his finish against Arsenal in the Champions League, Ibrahimovic for a goal for AC Milan against Lecce in Serie A while Neymar secured his position with a solo goal for Santos against Flamengo.

Fifa’s 2011 Puskas award, which is named in honour of Hungary legend Puskas, will be announced on January 9 and was last won by Hamit Altintop.

Real Madrid president Florentino targets Man Utd star Rooney for 2012

Real Madrid will make a new assault on Manchester United for striker Wayne Rooney next year.

Having prised Cristiano Ronaldo away over two years ago, Real president Florentino Perez is now putting a package together to convince United to sell Rooney.

El Economista says Florentino is working with Real coach Jose Mourinho to bring Rooney to Madrid.

Mourinho is a huge fan of Rooney's and has made it no secret he would love to work with the England ace.

Should Real fail in their shock bid, they are expected to then revive their long-term interest in Athletic Bilbao striker Fernando Llorente.

Pele: I like Man Utd's Rooney - but he's not in my class!

Pele is a fan of Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney.

But the Brazilian legend Pele feels Rooney, 26, has a long way to go before he can be talked about in the same breath as him.

Pele, 71, told The Sun: "I am a very big fan of Rooney. He always fights for the team. He is not too technical, his strength is his heart.

"He's a good player. But you can't really compare him to me. I scored a lot of goals. I don't know if Rooney has."

Rooney tipped to become golf star

 Wayne Rooney has been urged to take up golf after he retires.

Rooney enjoys a round of golf during his day's off.

After a playing with the Manchester United and England striker, former Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd claimed: “He is every bit as good a golfer as he is footballer. It would not surprise me if he turned to the golf circuit when his playing days are over.”

Capello says Man Utd striker Rooney good enough for England midfield

England coach Fabio Capello says Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is capable of playing in midfield.

Rooney might not play for England until next summer with Capello unlikely to pick him against Holland in February.

But when he does play it’s unlikely to be in the new midfield role he’s been temporarily handed at United.

“I think he can play there because he moves the ball quickly, straight to the goal. But I prefer to see Rooney close to the box,” said Capello.

“He’s dangerous. He can do assists and score goals. I spoke to him and asked him what he thought about the new position. He said he got a lot of passes – but I prefer him close to the box.”

Rooney sees his long-term Man Utd future in midfield

 Wayne Rooney can see his future in midfield.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson played Rooney in a central midfield role on Wednesday night as United beat Otelul Galati 2-0.

The player revelled in it, won praise from his boss and believes that position could be an option towards the end of his career.

Rooney admitted: "It is probably a role I could enjoy in the future when I lose a bit of pace.

"It's a role the manager needs me to do at the minute and I enjoy it. I played there as a young lad. Having watched my team-mates, I understand the role."

Ferguson wary withdrawing Rooney from frontline

Sir Alex Ferguson admits Wayne Rooney's quality in front of goal means he's unlikely to persist with the striker in midfield.

Ferguson has not lost sight of the fact his star forward has already contributed 12 goals to the United cause this season, and 158 overall in a United career now into its eighth year.

It is not a tally he can afford to abandon.

"Strongly is not the appropriate word," said Ferguson, when asked about the level of thought he was giving to turning Rooney into a permanent member of his midfield until.

"It is conditional on the midfield players I have available.

"Tom Cleverley is injured. Michael Carrick just started training and wasn't available on Wednesday. I was limited in my choice.

"There was a thought we might play Phil Jones there but we decided on Wayne.

"He has the appetite for it. He has the energy levels and I thought he did that really well.

"But I am not putting any marker down for that position.

"When you have a player who has scored 12 goals so far, you want him to be in positions where he can get you more goals. That is where he normally plays."

Ferguson: I'll play Rooney anywhere - but centre-half!

Sir Alex Ferguson was happy with Wayne Rooney's performance in midfield against Otelul Galati.

Rooney has tended to give the impression of believing he could be an effective performer anywhere on the field, including in goal.

However, there is a limit to how far Ferguson is willing to test that theory.

"He says his best position is centre-half. I am not about to try that," he said.

Ferguson: Rooney our best in midfield

 Sir Alex Ferguson was delighted with Wayne Rooney's midfield performance in victory over Champions League opponents Otelul Galati.

Rooney responded by dictating from deep as it was his long diagonal pass which started the build-up to Antonio Valencia's eighth-minute goal and he rounded off a laboured team performance with a hugely-deflected goal late one.

"I think he was our best player. He showed great awareness of that role," said Ferguson.

"His selection of passes at times was very good and showed great energy and determination - we got a really good performance out of him tonight.

"We had injuries and that is one of the reasons we played him there.

"Cleverley is injured, Carrick is injured, Darren Fletcher played on Saturday but it was better he played next Saturday.

"It was an option for us and a good option because he has all the qualities you need to be a central midfield player.

"The first thing you have to say about him is that he receives the ball very well.

"He is aided by the fact he plays in a forward role, when receiving the ball is more of an issue but that was an advantage for him tonight.

"I am not surprised the team we were playing against were aggressive in defending so he has to take credit in being able to handle that part."

Nike admit they loved Man Utd star Rooney's spectacular derby matchwinner last season

Nike admit they loved Wayne Rooney's winner for Manchester United against Manchester City last season.

Rooney's spectacular overhead kick was beamed around the world.

Charlie Brooks, Nike global communications director, told the Telegraph: "Wayne is one of our most high-profile global sponsored players, so any time a player scores a goal like that it resonates and benefits us.

"Wayne plays in our Total 90 range of boots and we’ve just launched a campaign for them based on the premise of ‘the perfect strike’. We got Wayne to re-create it in super slow motion recently and I think people love to watch a moment like that again and again. It’s already one of the iconic Premier League goals, and the fact that he scored it in Nike boots is fantastic for us.

"Fox Soccer shows all the big games live in the US and there’s a big group of employees at Nike (based in Oregon on the West Coast) who get together to watch games in one of the big Irish pubs in Portland.

"It’s beers and breakfast as the Premier League gets streamed live, so there were lots of people going mad when Rooney’s overhead kick went in."