Sacked Manchester United boss David Moyes has revealed that he had to fight very hard to stop Chelsea signing Wayne Rooney last season.
Moyes, who was dismissed by the Red Devils in April 2014, moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 2013 after ending his lengthy stint as Everton manager.
When the Scot arrived at United, the future of Rooney was the talk of everyone, with many claiming that the pair would not be able to work together due to a previous fall-out, which was sparked by the player’s transfer from Everton to United in 2004.
However, Moyes says that he did everything he could to make sure Rooney remained with United, despite serious interest from Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea.
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Moyes told the Sunday Times: “Chelsea were close to taking him.
“Jose was interested but we wouldn’t do any business. I had to fight to make sure he stayed – and was at the heart, again, of what Manchester United were going to be moving forward.”
Moyes went on to suggest that he played a key role in Rooney rediscovering top form, which he says the England skipper had lost to to a lack of aggression.
“I felt he’d lost a bit of his fight,” Moyes added.
“The thing about Wayne was he was always a fighter; he’s a technically terrific footballer, can do anything with the ball, but behind it he’s a tough boy, a street fighter in his football, and I felt he’d lost a bit of that.
“I think he agreed and probably thought, ‘Wait a minute, I have to go back to being a bit more aggressive, a bit more myself'”.
Rooney scored 17 goals in 29 Premier League games last term.
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