Sir Alex Ferguson surprisingly confirmed following Sunday’s 2-1 win over Swansea that Rooney had asked for a transfer.

With two years remaining on his present contract, there is a commercial reason to sanction Rooney’s sale if it is felt he would not extend his time with the Red Devils, with his price tag set to plummet if his current deal ran down by another 12 months.

It is a rather tricky situation for new manager David Moyes to inherit, even if it is now felt the outgoing Everton chief has patched up his differences with the player he sold to United for £27million in 2004.

Match of the Day pundit Mark Lawrenson feels certain Ferguson would have jettisoned Rooney this summer had he been remaining at Old Trafford. Moyes may have an alternative view, although the feeling persists that the change in attitude must come from the player.

Lawrenson told the BBC: “You would be reluctant to sell a player of his ability but Rooney should speak to (Paul) Scholes and (Ryan) Giggs and think about what he wantsu00a0to do.