Close menu

Wayne Rooney: Man Utd captain involved in EFL Cup final - Jose Mourinho

Last updated on .From the section Football

Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney "will be involved" in Sunday's EFL Cup final against Southampton, says manager Jose Mourinho.

Rooney, 31, announced on Thursday that he is staying at Old Trafford after being linked with a move to China.

The England captain has missed United's past three matches with a calf injury.

"He is fine, he has been training with the team," said Mourinho on Friday. "He made his statement about staying here exactly in the right moment."

The Portuguese added: "That should be the last question about it until the end of the season."

Rooney's agent, Paul Stretford, had travelled to China to see if he could negotiate a deal, although it is not known which clubs he spoke to.

However, United's record goalscorer released a statement on Thursday saying he hoped to "play a full part" in the rest of the Premier League club's season.

Rooney has won five Premier League titles and the Champions League since arriving at Old Trafford as an 18-year-old for £27m from Everton in 2004.

The forward, whose contract expires in 2019, has said he would not play for another English club other than the Toffees.

United are sixth in the Premier League and remain in three cup competitions, having reached the last 16 of the Europa League on Wednesday with a 4-0 aggregate victory over French side Saint-Etienne.

Rooney will be part of the squad to face top-flight rivals Southampton at Wembley on Sunday (16:30 GMT kick-off).

"No doubts, he is involved," said Mourinho.

"He was not selected for Saint-Etienne because he was not ready to play. He stayed at home this week so he could have one more important training session."

Midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan misses the final with a hamstring injury and Mourinho says Rooney's role will depend on which system he decides to play.

"Without Mkhitaryan, if we want to play with a number 10, obviously Wayne, it's his position, it's where he was playing with us many matches, so he is an option for me," he added.

On Rooney staying, the 54-year-old added: "He said no way he moves and wants to help the team fight for trophies. I said I would be happy if that was the decision."

Elsewhere on the BBC