Wayne Rooney performed a shock U-turn U型轉(zhuǎn)彎(180度大轉(zhuǎn)彎) on Friday by signing a fresh five-year deal with Manchester United.
The striker's future at Old Trafford had been in doubt all week after United's manager Sir Alex Ferguson said that Rooney was not looking for a new deal.
Initially 起初 Rooney seemed to have burned his bridges 過河拆橋,斷了后路 with United, but by the end of the week he was being lauded 稱贊 by Ferguson for sticking with 堅(jiān)持留在 the club. So what happened?
I am sure the fans over the last week have felt let down by what they have read and seen.
Wayne Rooney, Manchester United
Speculation 揣測(cè) started last week after an apparent disagreement over the player's injured ankle. Rooney claimed that the ankle was fine, but Ferguson contradicted 否定,反駁 the claim, preferring to keep him on the bench 在替補(bǔ)板凳上 in the weekend's clash against West Brom.
By Monday reports of a breakdown 破裂 in contract negotiations 合同談判 were rife 多的 and Ferguson confirmed the rumours in a landmark press conference 有重要意義的記者招待會(huì) on Tuesday.
He admitted that he was "dumbfounded" 驚得目瞪口呆的 by Rooney's decision to leave. He added that the "door is still open" 大門依然敞開 to sign a new deal but suggested that the player had not treated the club with sufficient respect 足夠的尊重。
But Ferguson was keen for a swift resolution 迅速的解決方案。 "We don't want it to become a saga 一連串的事情," he said on Wednesday. "What is really important is for us to put it to bed 安頓好。"
We don't want it to become a saga. What is really important is for us to put it to bed.
Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United's manager
Rooney was heavily linked 有密切聯(lián)系 with a number of clubs, including local rival 同城對(duì)手 Manchester City, and by Friday Man U supporters 曼聯(lián)球迷 were protesting 抗議 outside the player's mansion 豪宅。
But on Friday morning Rooney dropped the bombshell 公布一個(gè)令人驚人的消息 that he would stay with Manchester United until 2015.
"I am sure the fans over the last week have felt let down 使失望 by what they have read and seen," he said. "It's up to me through my performances to win them over 贏得他們的支持 again."
Liam Bradford, assistant editor of the United fanzine 由粉絲自發(fā)編寫的雜志, Red News, told BBC Radio 5 live that he was "completely flabbergasted 目瞪口呆的" by the events.
"It has just been completely surreal 如夢(mèng)幻般的 for the last seven days," he said.