Fergie: Rooney wants to go... I'm shocked and disappointed

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Wayne Rooney wants to quit Manchester United.

The striker has been left out of United's Champions League game against Bursaspor tomorrow an ankle injury after he was stretchered off in training this morning.

A "shocked" and "disappointed" Ferguson said: "Wayne has intimated to me in his own way that he wants to leave Manchester United."

In an astonishingly frank press conference, United's veteran boss looked sad but resigned as he outlined how the saga has unfolded. And in a separate interview with MUTV, Fergie revealed that Rooney was ready to quit on the opening day of the season.

He said: "David Gill had a talk with his agent at the end of last season and that was to be continued after the World Cup.

"David telephoned me and said he was on his way over because he had some bad news and Wayne's agent had intimated that he wanted away. We're terribly disappointed because we can't understand it.

"I had a meeting with him, and he intimated to me, in his own way, that he wanted to leave.

"We had a discussion about the whole situation. I said 'the only thing I want from you Wayne is to respect and honour the club's position and its traditions and behave like a proper professional and we will try and see it through'.

"I did say to him, as David Gill intimated, that there was an offer there if he was prepared to accept it. It was an offer that never got to any financial discussions.

"I know that David was prepared to offer him a contract that would be difficult to better elsewhere.

"Of course, there's no offer on the table as they are not prepared to listen to an offer but there's always an offer from Manchester United to negotaiate with any player and that's still there.

"I am disappointed, I can't believe it. When you manage Manchester United there is always something you have to deal with and we have had to deal with these situations before. It's not as easy as it was a few years ago.

"We are dealing with agents who are living in the pockets of players, it's a different world and we have to deal with it.

"However the area that has created a lot of the mystery about it is this issue with his injury. First of all, I must tell you, I have never had an argument with Wayne Rooney at any time.

"He got an ankle injury in the Rangers game. He was seen clearly hobbling at half-time. He confirmed it himself in an interview with Sky.

"My idea, based on the fact he wasn't playing that well, was to leave him out of the Sunderland game, make sure his ankle is properly prepared for the next game, and give him a 10 day recovery so he could play for England.

"My hope was that by playing for England at Wembley he could recapture his form and we could kick on.

"His entry into the mixed zone at Wembley has created that next stage that we have had to deal with, i.e. that he wasn't injured. I was disappointed because we know he was carrying an injury.

"We sent him for a scan, which showed a minor defect with an ankle injury, nothing serious, but he needed treatment, which he has had. There is no argument with that.

"We've done nothing but help him at this club. Manchester United is that kind of club.

"We cannot quite understand why he would want to leave.

"No-one can deny this club is one of the most successful in British football. We had won 40 major trophies, countless cup finals, a fantastic history, great stadium, great training arrangements. The platform for anyone to take up a challenge is here, without a doubt.

"We don't understand it. I can't answer any questions about why he is doing it.

"We can speculate. We can have opinions. It won't matter a dickie-bird, simply because the player is adamant he wants to leave.

"We have to deal with the next part of that, which we will do, as best we can, in relation to this request.

"I can do no more than I have said at the moment because we still, to my mind, have the door open."

"I was dumbfounded" - Read the full transcript of Fergie's MUTV interview on Wayne Rooney here

Wayne Rooney timeline: From darling of Old Trafford to wantaway Wayne

Fergie: Rooney wanted to quit 48 hours before season started