Soccer:As the speculation regarding the future of Manchester United's Wayne Rooney's intensified, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti and Arsenal Arsene Wenger boss refused to be drawn into the debate this afternoon.
Ancelotti distanced himself, as far as he could, from questions over whether Chelsea would show an interest in the United and England striker given his current problems at Old Trafford.
Ancelotti, speaking ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League tie against Spartak Moscow, said: “I cannot really give an answer about this. Rooney is a Manchester United player and he has some problem at this moment but the club has experience and when a big team has top players like Rooney, they want to keep him in the squad.”
Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, has enough to worry about at Arsenal than concern himself too much on whether Rooney will leave United and was not about to say whether it would be a deal which could interest Arsenal.
“What I make of it is that I have enough problems here to be involved in that,” said the Gunners boss, speaking ahead of tomorrow night’s Champions League clash against Shakhtar Donetsk at Emirates Stadium.
“We are not in a transfer period at all. We are in front of a big Champions League game and for us it is very important to focus on that. Then again, any little incident at Manchester United or Arsenal becomes a big story, but it doesn’t mean that there is something real behind the story.
“Maybe yes, maybe no — but I don’t know enough to be involved in that.”
While Ancelotti and Wenger preferred to keep their counsel, Real Madrid director general Jorge Valdano appeared to dismiss any move for the England international.
Valdano also reiterated coach Jose Mourinho’s comments last week that Madrid are not planning on making any changes to their playing squad during the January transfer window.
Reports have suggested Madrid as a possible destination for Rooney if United decide to cash in on the England striker. Rooney is reported to have told United officials he will not be signing another contract with the club. His current deal runs until the summer of 2012.
When asked about Rooney, Valdano said: “Madrid have two great strikers; (Gonzalo) Higuain and Cristiano (Ronaldo), who already showed last season that they are capable of scoring 60 goals between them.
“As well as that there are Di Maria and Ozil, who are going to help these two goalscorers. The question is, who would we move aside if we signed another striker?”
Manchester City has been touted as another possible destination for the player and the club would certainly have the spending power to reunite him with former teammate Carlos Tevez.
City should have no problems raising the cash thanks to the massive financial muscle of the Abu Dhabi United Group.