England international is thought to be unsettled at Old Trafford.
Former Manchester United assistant manager Mike Phelan says Wayne Rooney may want a fresh challenge, amid reports linking the striker with Arsenal and Chelsea.
Rooney reportedly asked to leave Old Trafford at the tail end of last season and is thought to remain unsettled at the Premier League champions.
The England striker also asked to leave United in October 2010 and Phelan, who followed former boss Sir Alex Ferguson out of the club this summer, says the striker may want a new challenge.
“Wayne is at the greatest club you can be at,” Phelan told the BBC.
“Why would you want to jeopardise that, unless you want a fresh challenge and you feel that challenge isn’t being met at Manchester United.”
Rooney is reportedly set to meet with new United boss David Moyes this week to discuss his future and Phelan stressed that he had no idea how the talks were likely to pan out.
“What will be will be. I haven’t got a clue,” he added.
Rather than leave the club three years ago, Rooney was persuaded to stay by Ferguson and rewarded with a new five-year contract.
Phelan revealed that Ferguson was desperate to keep hold of the former Everton star at the time.
“Every player is entitled to express a desire to want to move on,” said Phelan.
“Any player can do that at any time.
“In Wayne’s case, in the first instance in 2010, he took a lot of advice and got steered towards making that call, but the manager was terrific. He talked to him and asked why would he want to leave the club.
“The press conference Sir Alex gave was a bit of a tear-jerker and it was genuine. There was an element that he’d chased this boy and paid big money. He was the boy that could change United.”
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