Man United insists Wayne Rooney not for sale

MANCHESTER, England — Manchester United insists Wayne Rooney is not for sale after the striker indicated he wanted to leave the club.

A person familiar with the situation says that in talks with manager Alex Ferguson in recent weeks Rooney said he wanted to move on from the club. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to confirm British media reports because he was not authorized to discuss the talks publicly.

The talks took place before it emerged that Ferguson is retiring at the end of the season — an announcement only made by the 71-year-old manager on Wednesday.

United issued a statement late Wednesday to stress that "Rooney is not for sale."

Rooney's United future has been clouded since he was left out of the starting lineup for the second leg of the Champions League loss to Real Madrid in March.