Wayne Rooney reportedly rejected move away from Manchester United

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney could've Chinese Super League outfit Beijing Guoan in the summer, at least according to the club's honorary chairman. Quoted in the Guardian, Luo Ning said: "We indeed made an approach for Rooney at the beginning of the season but he’s informed us that he wants to stay in Manchester United. Rooney says he’ll keep playing in the Premier League as long as his health allows. We even met with his agent."

Interestingly, the Guardian's Jamie Jackson appears to corroborate the story with his own information, adding: "It is understood that Guoan’s interest in Rooney was raised with Stretford at a dinner in Beijing and was rejected out of hand." It's no surprise Rooney wasn't keen on a move to China just yet, though one imagines if Beijing Guoan had approached José Mourinho first, they have had a rather more amenable reply.

Unfortunately, as it is it looks like Rooney will be staying at United for the near future, with his contract not expiring until the end of 2019. And if he's not much use now, just think how much of a waste of space he'll be by then. All of this is, of course, not to deny that Rooney's been a great player for United in the current era, but the last couple of seasons have shown him to be some way past his very best.