Is Rooney The Next Beckham?

Before you jump on me for proposing the above statement, as ludicrous as it sounds, permit me to explain a few things surrounding the latest news coming out of England.

The talismanic forward is just the latest in a long list of Manchester United players to have a supposed feud with manager Sir Alex Ferguson. It is high-profile Red Devil players like David Beckham that have endured the media-hyped digressions into rifts with Ferguson, their manager at the time. Beckham's bust-up with Sir Alex came to a head in February 2003 after the manager kicked a boot in the training room at Beckham, giving the midfielder a gash which required stitches.

Like Beckham, Rooney started making his mark at United before the tender age of 20. Both gained national headlines for their immense promise as players and became fixtures of the England national team. Each has also had well-documented incidents of being hotheads on the pitch: Beckham in World Cup '98 against Argentina and Rooney in World Cup '06 against Portugal.

The two also have also had their careers in Manchester marked by injuries. Beckham's notorious 2002 metatarsal injury was arguably the beginning of the end for the midfielder at the club while Rooney has dealt with multiple foot injuries (which he blamed on his boots) and now his latest niggling ankle ailment.

So could Rooney really be on his way out of Old Trafford? If you believe everything that gets printed by the press, then yes.

To sum it up briefly: Rooney's poor form of late for England and for United has been due to his ankle, Ferguson claims. No, that is not it all, retorted Rooney in the papers. My ankle is just fine and I have not missed a training session in the last two months (despite photographic proof of the forward leaving the hospital after a reported x-ray). When asked why Ferguson said he had an ankle injury, Rooney replied, "I don't know."

Not helping is the recent tabloid reports that Rooney, a married man with a child, indulged in prostitutes at this summer's World Cup. Let's also not forget, Beckham has had his own history with such allegations.

It remains to be seen whether Rooney will have a long and drawn-out exit from Manchester like Beckham, but history has shown that Ferguson will not back down easily when dealing with player disagreements. What can be guaranteed is that whatever happens, it will be well-documented in the British press.