The Wayne Rooney transfer saga gets interesting with every passing day.
Just when it looked like Rooney was going to be the main face behind Manchester United's preseason tour of Asia and Australia, a wrench has been put in the works, with the club releasing a statement that Rooney would return to Manchester ASAP after suffering a hamstring injury on tour.
"Following a scan this evening on a hamstring injury sustained in training, it has been decided that Wayne Rooney should return home immediately for further assessment and rehabilitation," the club said in a statement on their official website.
"It is anticipated he will be unavailable for selection for a month."
Now, all it could be is an actual injury, ruling Rooney out for pretty much the rest of preseason. United are scheduled to face Wigan in the Community Shield on August 11, almost exactly one month from now.
The first game of the new English Premier League season starts a week later and with Rooney set to have little to no match practice, it will be hard to imagine the forward playing a key role in that particular game.
The statement, ironically, was released just a day after David Moyes said he had been told by United staff that Rooney was in the best shape of his life and had come as fit as a fiddle for the first time in years.
Conspiracy theories will now be abound, with plenty of suggestions sure to do the round regarding Rooney's future.
Chelsea are thought to be the favorites for the 27-year-old's signature, while Arsenal have also been heavily linked.
It is very difficult to imagine United would be prepared to sell one of their best players to either of their Premier League rivals, but then Rooney only has two years remaining on his current deal, the point of time when usually new contract talks begin.
United will surely not want to take Rooney to the final year of his contract before thrashing out a new deal, while they will also be reluctant to offer the £250,000 a week wages the player is thought to be on.
With Chelsea ready to match the player's wages, and Arsenal reportedly planning a lucrative long-term contract with a huge signing-on fee, and also with the likes of Paris Saint Germain and Barcelona also interested, it will be interesting to see how the rest of the summer pans out regarding Rooney.
One thing is for sure, reports suggesting Rooney's departure from Old Trafford will definitely not cease.
