Wayne targets 19th title
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Star striker Wayne Rooney hopes to be at Manchester United for many years to come and has rubbished questions over his commitment.
Reports had suggested the England forward would be on his way out of Old Trafford in the summer amid an ongoing fall-out with manager Sir Alex Ferguson, despite signing a new five-year contract in October.
That deal would keep him at Old Trafford until the age of 30 - but he claims he will not only see that out but remain there longer still.
"I saw (those reports), but I've never seen such rubbish in my life," he said. "My relationship with Sir Alex has no problems whatsoever.
"I'm enjoying my football here and if I was going to leave in the summer I wouldn't have signed a new contract when I did. I've signed it and I intend to see it through to the end.
"You get angry when people question you. On Sunday I was on the way home from training. I stopped off at the garage to get petrol and a few people asked me if I was leaving in the summer.
"I didn't know where it had come from. I said 'Where did you hear that?' and he said it was in the newspapers. But I'll be here until I'm well into my 30s.
"I signed a new contract to stay here and unless I'm ever not wanted then I'll be staying here, that's for sure."
October's new deal represented a dramatic u-turn after Rooney initially stated he wanted to leave the club, claiming they could not match his ambition.
But he said: "I admit I made a mistake, like I've said lots of times, by saying I wanted to leave but I've committed my future to United and I'm happy and my family are happy so there's no reason for me to want to move elsewhere.
"I want to try and win more trophies and bring more success to this club."
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Wayne Rooney speaks to ManUtd.com and United Review about the season run-in and his hopes of helping United reach a record number of league titles...
Do you think the recent FA Cup win over Arsenal has given you any psychological advantage in the title race?
I think so. We had a difficult week with the Chelsea and Liverpool results and we knew that beating Arsenal would give us that edge to push for the title. You can’t wait for the games to come at this stage of the season. The semi-final clash against [Manchester] City at Wembley promises to be some Cup tie. I was absolutely made up with the draw and I’m confident we can beat them. I’m desperate to win the competition, having lost in two finals. I think we’ve got a great chance of going all the way this year.We’ve done well at home this season and made Old Trafford into something of a fortress…
Yes, our form has been good. We’re always expected to win at home, but we always believe we can win no matter who we play. I’ve been a player in the away dressing room and I know the fear you feel before the game when you’re not really expected to get anything from it. So we’ve got that psychological advantage even before the game starts, but we know we’re good enough to beat anyone here.What’s your assessment of Javier Hernandez’s first season as a Red?
He’s just taken it all in his stride. He’s a lovely lad, who’s always smiling around the dressing room, and on the pitch he’s been brilliant. You can see he’s got a natural eye for goal, but what’s surprised a lot of us is how good he is in the air. He spends ages practising after training.And in the fit-again Antonio Valencia you have someone who is going to provide all the forwards with great service from the wing…
I was probably the happiest person in the team to see him back! And he looks like he’s never been away. Having Nani on one wing and Antonio on the other is fantastic because they each bring something different. Nani has created a lot of goals, but he’s more about dribbling and getting shots off, whereas Antonio is more focused on getting down the line and whipping the ball in. It’s a good mixture for us to have.When you get to this stage of the season do you feel any nerves or do you savour the challenges ahead?
You just look forward to every game at this stage and you have to enjoy it, especially when you’re in the running for a few trophies. It’s exciting for the fans and it’s exciting for the players as well knowing that you’re just a few weeks away from possibly winning a major trophy or two.Is the target of a record 19th title something that plays on the fans’ minds more than those of the players?
No, it’s definitely something I’ve been thinking about a lot. I’m obviously from Liverpool and grew up as an Everton fan, so to be part of the team that wins a record title and overtakes Liverpool would mean so much to us players as well as the fans. I know all the Everton fans want us to do it and that’s our aim.
