Mourinho: Blame Moyes, Not Me!

According to a report in ESPN, Jose Mourinho spoke to the media regarding his heavy interest in signing unsettled Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, and deflected the blame for the long awaited transfer saga to David Moyes, who earlier said that Rooney would be the second choice striker in the presence of Robin van Persie in attack.

Mourinho made his attempt to buy Rooney public after Chelsea made their bid for the England international through a public statement. The period in the transfer window before this official bid had been filled with speculation about the striker’s future next season, after retired Sir Alex Ferguson revealed that Rooney had indeed submitted a second transfer request to the club at the end of last season. The news of the bid put the spotlight firmly on Rooney and the decision to be taken by Moyes, which angered fans against Mourinho’s decision to bid for the striker and unsettle the player.

Signs of discontent between Rooney and the rest of the squad could be seen during the club’s opening encounter against Swansea City in the Barclays Premier League. The match was played at the Liberty Stadium, and saw United beat the Swans 1-4. Rooney started from the bench, and despite his team winning, the former Everton striker was seen walking back to the United half alone after van Persie scored his second goal, while the rest of the team celebrated together.

It is clear that Rooney is not happy at the club, and has been wanting a switch of scenario for the past few seasons. The friction between Moyes and Rooney due to their Everton connections has not eased things at Old Trafford, and the striker is reportedly unhappy about Moyes’ comments relating to him being a backup player to van Persie.

Mourinho took a stand against Moyes, when reporters questioned him regarding the anger of the United faithful over the Portuguese’s bid, and said that the Rooney saga had been blown out of proportion due to mistakes made by the United boss.

Mourinho said, “We are trying to get a player that a manager told ‘You will be a second option’ for him. We are not going for [Robin] van Persie.”

“They don’t have to be against me. If I say Ramires is a second option for me and he plays when Lampard is tired or injured, if someone comes here to get Ramires, nobody is upset.”