There Will Be Only One Winner If Sir Alex Ferguson Decides His Relationship With Wayne Rooney Has Reached Point Of No Return At Manchester United

As the storm clouds gather over Old Trafford, surely even the most one-eyed Manchester United optimist no longer thinks that the marriage of Wayne Rooney and Sir Alex Ferguson is an innocent, affectionate one.

With growing evidence of a breakdown in the relationship, it is increasingly clear that the contract dispute of 15 months ago has left an indelible scar.

News broke on Twitter late on New Years’ Eve (in a newspaper that Sir Alex has been known to brief in the past) that Rooney had been dropped for United’s shock defeat to Blackburn Rovers earlier that day after turning up for training in a less than mint condition.

Recalled to the team that lost even more abysmally at Newcastle United on Wednesday, Rooney’s painful performance summed up that of his team. Electric either side of Christmas in the 5-0 trouncings of Fulham and Wigan Athletic, suddenly his demeanour had taken on the troubled, distracted look of early last season.

When Rooney was substituted and made only fingertip contact with his manager as he left the pitch, his face burned with frustration. Within a week, his form had plummeted.

Had Sir Alex overplayed his hand by disciplining his star player for what had initially seemed a relatively minor offence? The immediate drop in the effectiveness of Rooney – and his team - could have perhaps been avoided had the Scot taken a less stringent line.

Yet this theory fails to take into account Sir Alex's mastery and experience of the intricacies of man-management.

Had he failed to rap Rooney, Darron Gibson and Jonny Evans over the knuckles for their Boxing Day jaunt with their partners, the 70-year-old might have reckoned it would have been a victory for player power at the expense of his own authority.

The impression Rooney gives is that he makes his own rules and deserves a longer leash than the rank-and-file. No longer is he the extravagantly gifted but raw teenager who benefitted from the wisdom, warmth and occasionally firm hand of his boss.

Dejected figure | Wayne Rooney burned with frustration after painful display on Wednesday

Yet Sir Alex’s aura depends on there being only one man operating the steering wheel. He has written the book, the screenplay and the film script on how to deal with big-name players who have begun to operate outside of their necessarily narrow jurisdiction.

David Beckham, Roy Keane, Jaap Stam and Ruud van Nistelrooy were all eased out of Old Trafford when Sir Alex thought their powers to be forces of good at the club had waned. Paul Scholes feared he might suffer the same fate after refusing to play in a League Cup tie but was given a stay of execution.

This brings us to the most fascinating element of what can only be characterised as chapter two of the Rooney-Ferguson breakdown. The manager gave a masterclass in psychology when Rooney thought his future would better lie elsewhere, chastising the player on TV, questioning the advice he was being given and reminding his audience that the club was more important than any player, however celebrated.

Rooney’s camp had plenty of reason to pop the champagne corks 48 hours later when United shattered their pay structure to give the striker what they clearly thought was a contract befitting the talisman of England’s biggest club and the national team.

"If Ferguson feels that the player has become more trouble than he is worth, a way will be found to end their relationship"

The supporters do not bestow quite the affection on the player they once did, nor do they sing his name with the same gusto, certainly not compared to bona fide Old Trafford legends Keane and Eric Cantona.

It also took Rooney an awfully long time to repay the club’s faith. For all the majesty of his spectacular match-winning scissor kick against Manchester City in February, it was not until he inspired a 4-2 comeback win at West Ham in April with an exquisite hat-trick that he recaptured the form of 2009-10, the season when he seemed destined to rub shoulders throughout his peak years with a tiny elite headed by Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

As one of those who covered United’s Champions League semi-final cakewalk at Schalke in Gelsenkirchen in April, when Rooney spoke afterwards of his embarrassment at questioning the ambition of the club who went on to win a 19th league crown weeks later and reach their third final of Europe’s elite competition in four years, it is slightly surprising to be at a crossroads in his career again just over eight months later.

History tells us there is only one Guv’nor at Old Trafford. In a battle of wills between star player and the most decorated manager of the modern era, there can only be one winner.

Whether Rooney likes it or not, if Sir Alex feels, for reasons of commitment or effectiveness, that the player has become more trouble than he is worth, a way will be found, be it this month or in the summer, to end their relationship.

None of us should be surprised if the divorce papers are served soon.