Moyes ready to gamble on playing Rooney against Chelsea

LONDON — Although Mourinho has raised the prospect of a third bid for Wayne Rooney following the game, Manchester United have made it clear that he will not be sold.

Moyes has dismissed the possibility of the player’s omission against his suitors, revealing that he has a “good chance” of making his starting XI.

“Wayne has got a good chance of playing,” Moyes said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

“He’s got a good chance of playing against Chelsea, a good chance of starting.”

Rooney, who returned to United duty following injury with a substitute appearance against Swansea City last Saturday, has made it clear to Moyes and United that he wishes to leave Old Trafford following the breakdown of his relationship with former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

With Rooney unsettled and seeking a new challenge, Chelsea manager Mourinho has lodged two unsuccessful bids of £20  million (S$40 million) and £30  million for the 27-year-old this summer in an effort to tempt United into a sale.

Senior figures at United are bracing themselves for further attempts at destabilising Rooney and Moyes’ team from Chelsea and Mourinho ahead of the game, but Moyes is understood to have no concerns over Rooney’s state of mind should he be selected.

In a clear display of his disenchantment at United, Rooney failed to celebrate either of the two goals he created for Robin van Persie and Danny Welbeck against Swansea. He also left the pitch without acknowledging the support of the club’s travelling fans, many of whom had chanted his name during the game.

Rooney’s relationship with Moyes remains healthy but while United wait for Mourinho to lodge his third bid, the Chelsea manager proved restrained when asked about the England forward on Friday.

“He [Rooney] is their player,” Mourinho said. “For example, we said [David] Luiz is not for sale and, even if a player wishes to leave and the club wants to keep him, that is something we have to make a decision.

“At this moment, I don’t care. I have a big match on Monday. But until the last day, you are going to try [to sign a striker].”

Rooney, who has been challenged by Moyes to stay at United and surpass Sir Bobby Charlton as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer (he is 52 goals behind), will move level with Denis Law on 404 senior appearances for the club if he starts against Chelsea.

Having trained fully this week in the wake of his thirty minutes as a substitute at the Liberty Stadium, Moyes is confident that Rooney is now close to optimum fitness following the hamstring and shoulder injuries which forced him to miss all of United’s pre-season fixtures.

Welbeck, who scored twice at Swansea, is likely to pose the biggest threat to Rooney’s inclusion in the starting line-up on Monday, with Moyes impressed by the 22-year-old’s performance this summer.

But regardless of his starting line-up, the United manager is anticipating a difficult test against Chelsea following their 100 per cent start to the season so far.

“I think they have started strongly,” Moyes said. “But it’s what you’d expect from them because they’ve got good players and a good team. There’s not much change to the team except the manager’s changed.” AGENCIES