SOCCER:MANCHESTER UNITED have re-entered negotiations with Wayne Rooney's adviser, Paul Stretford, to determine whether there is any way back for the player at Old Trafford after stating his desire to leave.

David Gill, United’s chief executive, spoke at length with Stretford yesterday and reiterated Alex Ferguson’s belief that they believe the striker could be on the verge of making the biggest mistake of his professional life and will forever regret leaving England’s biggest club, regardless of the fact he could make more money elsewhere.

Rooney is seriously considering the possibility of earning €290,000 a week at Manchester City but there is still a desire among some senior United figures to keep him, despite their grave misgivings about his recent behaviour and the divisions that now exist between him and Ferguson.

Gill had an hour-long meeting with Ferguson at lunchtime and also spoke on several occasions over the telephone to the owning Glazer family to ascertain their position, predominantly whether they want to sell the man who scored 34 times for the club last season or try to coax him into changing his mind by offering more money.

Rooney’s position had begun to look untenable when he released a statement on Wednesday to confirm he wanted to leave, citing his misgivings about whether United are in danger of stagnating at a time when they no longer appear to be in the market for more expensive players.

Ferguson had responded by saying his priority was to “put it to bed” yesterday, and the manager is known to be frustrated that he has been unable to do so, believing the ongoing drama may have an adverse effect on the other players ahead of Sunday’s game at Stoke City. Lawyers are involved on both sides, and the tensions of the past few days have not helped the talks go smoothly, with United unhappy about what they perceive to have been Stretford’s role in Rooney’s decision that he would be better off elsewhere.

The only public comment from Old Trafford was a statement from Gill to confirm that more talks are planned and ask the supporters to show understanding.

“We are aware there is intense public and media interest on the club at the moment,” Gill said. “I can confirm a number of meetings have taken place today, including with the player’s representative. The outcome of those meetings will become clear in the near future. In the meantime, fans are asked to be patient.”

United are acutely aware of the growing swell of opinion against Rooney and the player is said to be hurt though not entirely surprised by the reaction. He has also dismayed team-mates with his statement that the main reason he wanted to leave was because of his concerns that United might not be in a position to challenge regularly for trophies. The clear implication was that Rooney believes United are in danger of slipping behind more powerful spenders, specifically Chelsea and Manchester City, as well as major forces in Europe such as Milan, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

City are continuing to monitor his potential availability with a view to signing him in January and though Real Madrid’s president, Florentino Perez, has made no secret of his admiration for the striker, there is a feeling at the Bernabeu that another club are ahead of them. Rooney is said to favour staying in England not least because his wife, Coleen, places great emphasis on helping to care for her younger sister, Rosie, who suffers from the brain disorder Rett syndrome.

Stretford also has a long association with Brian Marwood, the man charged with negotiating new signings for City in his role as the club’s football administrator.

Meanwhile, Roy Keane insists there is no chance Manchester United will struggle to challenge for trophies without Wayne Rooney. “Players have opinions and if they want to leave then good luck to them,” the Ipswich boss and former United captain said.

“Man Utd will more than survive.” Asked if Alex Ferguson’s side can still attract top quality players, the Corkman added: “Absolutely, of course, absolutely.

“If any player ever asked me, and one or two have, if they had a chance of signing for Man United, ‘do it, you won’t regret it’.

“I was there for 12 and a half years I loved every minute of every day playing for that club, every minute of every day. I had chances to leave, many opportunities when my contract situation was running out, particularly when I came back from my cruciate. An amazing football club, brilliant football club.”