How Paul Scholes stopped me from leaving Man United — Rooney

Wayne Rooney has disclosed that he was injured by a Man United teammate after handing in a transfer request during his time at the club. Rooney, who spent 13 seasons at Manchester United and became the club’s all-time leading scorer with 253 goals, revealed this incident on “The Overlap,” show.

The Manchester United legend saw an illustrious career at Old Trafford that includes 5 Premier League titles, a Champions League triumph over Chelsea in 2008.

However, in 2010, Wayne Rooney was on the verge of leaving Man United after submitting a transfer request. He publicly criticized the club’s ambition following their failure to win the league the previous season.

Rooney met with then-CEO David Gill to express his desire to leave, a decision that did not sit well with the club. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson accused Rooney of showing a lack of respect, escalating tensions further.

In a candid conversation, Rooney joked about the aftermath of his transfer request, suggesting that Ferguson might have influenced Paul Scholes to injure him during training.

“You wanted to win those games [Friday training matches], some of the tackles were horrific,” Rooney recalled.

“He [Sir Alex Ferguson] used to stop the game and make us go in. Scholesy [Paul Scholes] put me out the day before a game.”

Rooney added with a laugh, “It was the day the gaffer did his press conference where I wanted to leave, so I’m sure the gaffer had a word with him before training. No, I’m joking.”

Despite his initial desire to leave, Rooney ultimately had a change of heart and signed a new five-year deal with Man United. However, Scholes’ tackle sidelined him for a month, and he made his return as a substitute in a 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic on November 20.