Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Wayne Rooney wants to leave Manchester United and will not sign a new contract.
"We are as bemused as anyone can be, we can't quite understand why he would want to leave," Ferguson said.
Ferguson said Rooney's agent broke off contract talks with chief executive David Gill after the World Cup, and the player confirmed his intention to leave in a subsequent meeting.
"I was in the office on August 14 and David phoned me to say he wasn't signing a contract," Ferguson told MUTV. "He came across to see me and said 'I can't believe this'. I could not believe it. I was dumbfounded.
"Only months before he was saying this was the greatest club in the world and he wanted to stay for life.
"We just don't know what's changed the boy's mind really."
He insisted he had not fallen out with Rooney over a recent ankle injury, but said he was disappointed with the player's insistence he was not injured.
"I knew very well that he was carrying an injury, we sent him for a scan which showed a minor defect, nothing serious but it needed treatment, and he had treatment."
Ferguson said he had no idea why Rooney wanted to leave, but would leave the door open for him to change his mind, "simply because he is such a good player".
"We've done nothing but help him since he's been at this club."
Rooney joined the club from Everton in 2004 as an 18-year-old for £27m, a world record for a player aged under 20.
He helped them to Premier League titles in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and the Champions League in 2008.
The manager said Rooney would not play in Wednesday's Champions League match against Bursaspor because of an ankle injury.
A United press officer said that Rooney was stretchered off at the end of training on Tuesday.
so now that Ferguson have admitted that Rooney want to get out, so where will Rooney end up?
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney has told manager Alex Ferguson that he wants to leave the Premier League club but where might he end up?
While Ferguson is still hopeful that his key striker will stay, the news is likely to spark a scramble for him during the January transfer window.
Following are some clubs who may be interested in bringing Rooney in:
REAL MADRID
The nine-times European champions would certainly be able to find the money should they decide to compete for Rooney's signature but club president Florentino Perez is known to be wary of players with problems in their private life.
Real signed Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United as part of a massive investment programme last year and new coach Jose Mourinho may be tempted to renew an attacking partnership that carried United to two Champions League finals.
On the other hand, Real do not really need a new striker, with Ronaldo, Gonzalo Higuain and Mesut Ozil in their ranks.
"We have two marvellous players up front (Ronaldo and Higuain) and they proved they were able to score 60 goals between them last season," Real general director Jorge Valdano told Spanish television on Monday.
MANCHESTER CITY
Owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al-Nahyan has spent more than £300 million since taking charge of the club and much of this has gone on bringing in forwards, including Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Roque Santa Cruz and Mario Balotelli.
They have still not managed to bring in a true marquee name, however, after the failure to sign Kaka from AC Milan in 2009.
City have a geographical advantage over other potential suitors as a move United's neighbours would allow the striker to stay rooted in North West England.
The question remains whether Rooney would want to move to United's fierce local rivals. Only a move to Liverpool would generate more bad feeling than that.
CHELSEA
Free-scoring Chelsea are not in any immediate need of a striker with Didier Drogba, the Premier League's top scorer last season, and Nicolas Anelka among the players at their disposal.
The sort of wages Rooney would command may also be an obstacle to owner Roman Abramovich who has tightened the purse strings in recent seasons.
Players of Rooney's calibre, however, do not become available that often and the Russian billionaire may think he would be a worthwhile investment given Drogba is now aged 32.
Another plus point is that Rooney's transfer fee may be relatively low given his United contract is due to expire in June 2012.
"He has some problems at the moment but right now he is still a Man United player," manager Carlo Ancelotti said of Rooney.
"If you want to know what players Chelsea want to buy and how much money they want to spend you should ask Roman."
BARCELONA
The Catalan club recently signed David Villa, but since the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic to AC Milan, they have lacked a player with Rooney's physical attributes.
The strikers they have in reserve, such as Bojan Krkic and Pedro, fit neatly into their intricate passing game, but arguably do not give them a reliable plan B.
Barcelona have a nucleus of homegrown players and a regular place in the team may not even be a given but the challenge would surely appeal to any player of Rooney's quality, even if he has never expressed much of an interest in playing abroad.
INTERNAZIONALE
European champions Internazionale are in need of a forward having looked threadbare upfront after selling Balotelli to Manchester City.
Rooney might fit their three-pronged attack as a central striker or more likely out wide given red-hot Samuel Eto'o and last year's treble hero Diego Milito are also at the San Siro.
Inter president Massimo Moratti has said he will probably buy in January but Rooney's name has never been mentioned and Moratti has his heart set on one day tempting Lionel Messi from Barcelona.
The other question would be whether the presence of Rafa Benitez, former coach of Liverpool, would appeal to Rooney, who came through at their neighbours Everton before moving to their arch-rivals United.
despite what the Real Madrid director said, Jose Mourinho say he won't mind having Rooney... so there is still a possibility he might end up at Real Madrid...
Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho would be interested in signing Wayne Rooney should Manchester United decide they have no option but to sell the England striker.
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed earlier on Tuesday that Rooney wants to leave the club, and barring a change of heart from the player it means he is almost certain to leave either in January or at the end of the season.
Real are one of the few clubs with the financial muscle to attract Rooney, and while Mourinho still believes he will ultimately stay at Manchester United, he would clearly be prepared to listen if the chance to sign the player arose.
Speaking after Real's 2-0 win over AC Milan in the Champions League, Mourinho told Sky Sports News: "He will stay. He probably wants to leave for some reason but I believe he belongs to Man United, he belongs to Man United fans, he belongs to Old Trafford. I believe he is going to stay. But if at the end of the day Man United decide that he is to leave, then give me a call."
Mourinho admitted he would not be alone in a bidding war if Rooney is put on the market.
"Everybody will be interested," he said. "But I like him, I like Sir Alex, I like Man United and I believe the best thing for him is to stay there for life."
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