Last Updated: Fri, 31 Aug 2012 09:03
Chief executive David Gill is adamant Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney is 'not for sale' after reports linking him with a move.
Speculation has intensified this week that the 26-year-old England international could be on his way out of Old Trafford ahead of this Friday night's 11pm deadline after he was surprisingly omitted from Sir Alex Ferguson's starting XI for last weekend's 3-2 win against Fulham.
Rooney came on as a substitute during the game and subsequently suffered a nasty gash to his leg which will rule him out of action for up to two months.
But, despite his absence from the game, there was no halt to the rumours that an exit was on the cards until Rooney took to Twitter on Wednesday evening to insist he was going nowhere.
Gill has now broken his silence to back Rooney's claims and stated that United will not entertain any offers for the player.
"Wayne is definitely not for sale and I can categorically say there has been no discussion within the club or with his agent," he told the Sun.
"He is in a long-term contract with us and is very integral to our team. Wayne's a great player who has got a bad injury - but he will come back. He didn't start on Saturday for various reasons. Alex Ferguson picks the best team to win the game and that's it.
"He's a manager who's been so successful and there will be rotation. Robin van Persie has shown the desire to play for Manchester United. With him, Shinji Kagawa, Nick Powell, Alexander Buttner and Angelo Henriquez, we've refreshed pretty well."
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