PLAYING TO THE GALLERY

Last updated : 15 February 2006 By Editor

Who pays any attentions to the utterings of footballers, however sincere they might seem? Give us a summer free of your agent touting you round Europe Ruud, and this may be a little more believable.

The Guardian reports:

Ruud van Nistelrooy has sought to curtail the possibility of more speculation about his future by declaring that he wants to play a part in what Sir Alex Ferguson has described as another two or three years of "transition" at Manchester United.

At various stages this season Van Nistelrooy has let it be known he is unhappy at the club's faltering progress but he has now made it clear he wants to remain at Old Trafford rather than seek another club with a better chance of winning the European Cup.

Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Van Nistelrooy tried to distance himself from reports linking him with an end-of-season move to Milan.

"I don't want to say anything about that because the fact is that Manchester United are in my heart. My only aim to stay for several more years in Manchester.

"When I joined United they had won seven out of the last nine Premiership titles, won the Champions League in 1999 and also the treble. The expectations for everyone then, and I suppose myself, was that United were going to win a similar number of titles. But football is not as simple as that.

"We are in a situation now where we are building a team that can be the best again if we continue the progress we are making.

"I am proud of what I have achieved at United. It's been five fantastic years and I hope this season will bring silverware. I can't get the words out of my mouth to not go for the title. We will still go for it because it is not finished.

"I like playing where I am. I’m not going to leave to go to Spain, Italy or anywhere else."

On Rooney he says:

"Wayne is already one of the best young players in the world and he has a huge future. It is fantastic for me to be playing alongside him. Having Wayne alongside me is one of the reasons I’m not planning to be anywhere else rather than Manchester United.

"Most players find their first year at a new club quite hard but Wayne didn’t have any problems.

"You really don’t see people of his age with that kind of ability very often. He is strong, can take people on and is able to play in so many positions.

"He has played up front, on the left and right, in the hole and in midfield but it doesn’t seem to matter because he still manages to score more goals than he did before."