Ferguson blasts Rooney agent Stretford



Paul Stretford: In the money



Sir Alex Ferguson has laid the blame squarely with agent Paul Stretford over his role in last week's Wayne Rooney saga.

Fergie, who claimed that modern-day players live firmly in the pockets of their agents, pointed the finger of blame at Stretford for the high-profile, public soap opera involving Rooney.

Rooney eventually signed a five-year deal worth £60million, but not before he had threatened to walk out on United over their perceived lack of ambition, a move seen as a blatant negotiating tactic.

Ferguson - whose own son Jason used to be an agent - said: ‘You have to deal with agents of this world today which is difficult.'

“It’s always tough at United,” said Fergie. “There are always issues to deal with. When your top players come towards the end of their contracts, you have to do something to get them a new one.
It was noticeable how Stretford did not feature in any of the public relation exercises after his client's new lucrative five-year deal was signed.
The former vacuum salesman has already made a fortune off the back of Rooney since acquiring the player's services eight years ago and is rumoured to be pocketing anything up to £2.5 million from last week's negotiations.