United must author the end of Rooney saga

Rooney's future is likely to be in the headlines for many weeks to come, but Kevin McCarra in The Guardian believes Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United need to grab control of the situation.

For the world at large there was a lull in the Wayne Rooney affair. Discussions proceeded yet there was nothing to be announced immediately. The irritation or curiosity that people feel over the issue of the forward's future is a foretaste of the distraction that will affect Manchester United if a resolution is not achieved shortly.

Having been aghast when Rooney informed them of his determination to leave, the club would probably like to complete a deal as soon as possible. Their start to the Premier League season has been indifferent and they would benefit from an end to this diversion.

The January transfer window is far from transparent. It is hard to peer through it and make out the immediate future for Rooney. The fact that he has already played in the Champions League, against Rangers, means that he could be of no immediate help in that tournament for, say, Real Madrid.

At the same time his impact for United would be questionable should Sir Alex Ferguson conclude that he has to play him if the team are to live up to their expected standard. Unfortunately normal service cannot be taken for granted when the stands are full of supporters who believe him guilty of treachery.

Rooney's camp were tardy in addressing the matter. His wish to part from United was known for a couple of days before the assertion was made that he could not tolerate the alleged scaling back of transfer activities, as seen in the disinclination to spend close to the level that saw Real buy Cristiano Ronaldo from United for £80m.

It was too late for Rooney to be reinvented as a hero of a revolution committed to demanding the kind of purchases that would thrill the crowd. Should the relationship be beyond repair, then steps, if at all possible, have to be taken in January. Ferguson has always been a man for swift and sometimes harsh decisions.

In the past he has jettisoned people and then reshaped the team, so few leavers have really been missed. The various conversations that are in progress must involve not simply the sums that could be obtained in January, although that would bring Manchester City to the fore, since Rooney's ineligibility for the Champions League is of no relevance to them.

The 24-year-old seems implacable in his wish to be gone from Old Trafford and the original notion that the topic could be set aside until the summer is in doubt. Part of Rooney's appeal has been his yearning to play. He has always looked like a person who needed the game desperately and a time in the doldrums would impair him.

England have already taken a long stride towards Euro 2012 qualification since Rooney's opening goal in the away match against Switzerland put the team on course for a valuable win. He was not scintillating even then and he made way for Shaun Wright-Phillips in the 79th minute, but his worth to Fabio Capello had still been demonstrated.

It would suit United if Rooney reverted to normal operations, so intensifying the transfer-market interest, and moved on next summer to someone other than their Premier League foes, City and Chelsea. The forward, though, is not the type to go about his work unobtrusively and even Ferguson will find it hard to restore normality until the Rooney question is resolved.

Some supporters attribute the striker's actions to greed rather than defiance of the Glazer regime. Rooney will be exceedingly rich come what may but there are other types of fulfilment. He is yet to establish himself indisputably as one of the great performers in football history. Failure in that ambition would be the saddest aspect of the current estrangement from United, a club that had so often looked like his ideal setting.