LONDON: Wayne Rooney's future at Manchester United is yet to be determined after meetings were held between the club and the striker's representatives Thursday. “The outcome of those meetings will become clear in the near future,” a United statement said. “In the meantime, fans are asked to be patient.” Rooney has told United he does not intend to extend his contract beyond the summer of 2012 because he is unhappy at the club's lack of ambition. United manager Alex Ferguson met with the club's chief executive David Gill Thursday, and both held talks with Rooney's representatives. “We are aware that there is intense public and media interest on the club at the moment, but there are no developments of note to report.” Ferguson confirmed Tuesday that Rooney told the club he wanted to quit Old Trafford, sparking intense media debate and speculation about where the England international's future lies. That continued when Rooney released a statement Wednesday, detailing his concerns with United's squad strength and claiming he had not been given any assurances by Gill about the club's future. After United's Champions League victory over Bursaspor the same night, Ferguson said he was eager to see the issue resolved because the club did not want it to become a “saga.” United has been unable to do that but Ferguson is unlikely to welcome any further questions about Rooney in the coming days. United next plays Sunday against Stoke. Rooney is currently sidelined with an ankle injury sustained in training Tuesday. Rooney's comments effectively slammed shut any chance of the striker being able to settle his differences with the club after Ferguson said Tuesday the door was still open to a solution. A furious Ferguson reacted by telling reporters following United's 1-0 Champions League victory over Bursaspor that the club had called a meeting in order to “put the issue to bed”. “We don't want it to carry on. We don't want it to become a saga. We've got the team to consider,” Ferguson said before the meeting. “That's going to be the end of it tomorrow (Thursday). We'll carry on and dismiss everything else. We'll put it to bed tomorrow.” Ferguson said Gill had spoken to United's American owners, the Glazer family, ahead of the meeting. “David (Gill) has spoken to the owners tonight, which is important,” Ferguson said. “And what is really important is for us to put this to bed.” Ferguson did not speculate on what course of action he may take but it now seems likely that Rooney has played his last game in a United shirt and that the club will seek to sell him as soon as the January transfer window opens. Rooney, the figurehead of the United team and one of the world's most talented footballers, had stunned his employers by breaking off negotiations over a new contract and informing them he wished to leave. With only 18 months left to run on his current 90,000 pounds ($140,000) per week deal, United is now likely to offload Rooney as quickly as possible before his value, around 50 million pounds ($79 million), begins to depreciate. Rooney would be able to leave United for free if he saw out the remainder of his contract.
