Soccer:Manchester United have dismissed claims they will sell Wayne Rooney during the January transfer window as "nonsense". The England striker was left on the bench by Alex Ferguson for Saturrday's Premier League clash with West Brom, and only introduced 19 minutes from the end of the 2-2 draw.
Even then, Rooney was consigned to the left wing, leading to more intense speculation about the 24-year-old's relationship with Ferguson.
Although they rarely comment on individual stories, United have opted to make a brief response to suggestions Rooney's alleged rift with Ferguson is now so great that he will be ushered out of Old Trafford at the earliest opportunity.
"To suggest Wayne Rooney will be sold in January is nonsense," said a club spokesman.
United are aware even that statement could be seized upon and interpreted as opening up the possibility for Rooney to be sold at the end of the season, when his contract will only have 12 months to run.
It is not their policy to talk about contract negotiations in public either and that stance has not changed.
However, privately they remain steadfast in their belief Rooney will eventually sign an extension that will make him one of the club's highest earners.
Ferguson has said little about his star striker in the last few days and totally avoided the issue after Saturday's match.
Yet, purely by leaving him on the bench just days after Rooney contradicted his boss by stating he has not been suffering from an ankle injury, the Scot was delivering a damning verdict on the player's recent performances.
What is not known is the reason Rooney opted to speak with the media immediately after England's goalless draw with Montenegro when it would have been far easier to remain silent.
If Rooney took the decision upon himself, it would appear he has been naive given the number of high-profile players who have been drummed out of Old Trafford after clashing with Ferguson.
However, if the move was premeditated, it leaves open the possibility that Rooney himself sees his future away from United, in which case the club would want to maximise their income, as they did with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Meanwhile, former Manchester United star Steve Bruce believes Ferguson is acting in the player's best interests by taking him out of the firing line.
Sunderland boss Bruce, who captained United under Ferguson, said: "He's (Ferguson) the right person to handle it.
"I find it amazing that we're questioning it and I'm convinced he's done it in a way to protect the lad.
"I don't think Wayne will probably understand that at the moment because he's young but when you look back on it in later times I'm convinced Sir Alex is doing what he's done many, many times.
"He's trying to protect his big player, trying to keep him out of the spotlight, keep him under the radar, if you like. More importantly, trying to protect him in his way."
Bruce, speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's Sportsweek programme, added: "We all know Wayne Rooney is a fantastic footballer and it's the first time in his career that he's had this, a little sort of blip, but make no mistake, he'll be back.
"He's our best talent in this country and it's about time we tried to protect him and look after him."