Wayne Rooney urges Mason Greenwood, Harry Maguire to leave Manchester United

Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has urged both Mason Greenwood and Harry Maguire to leave Old Trafford during this summer's transfer window.

Greenwood, 21, is free to resume his career, having seen all criminal charges against him dropped, and Man United are said to be close to concluding their internal investigation into the events that led to him being arrested in the early stages of 2022.

The England international is unlikely to depart the Red Devils on a permanent basis, but a loan move is expected to be sanctioned during the summer market.

Atalanta BC, Juventus, AC Milan and Roma are among the clubs to be credited with an interest in the forward, who has not trained for Man United nor represented the club since January 2022.

Rooney has said that Man United are in a tough situation when it comes to the attacker, and the now DC United head coach believes that it would be best for all parties if he left.

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"For Mason, it's a bad position to be in because I'm sure he just wants to play football," Rooney told The Athletic.

"But for the club, its image and ensuring they make the right decisions, it's almost a catch 22. I think the best thing for Mason now is to get out of the club and go and develop somewhere else.

"He needs to get back playing because it has been a long time. With everything that has happened and how long the internal investigation has taken, it's probably got to a place now where Mason just needs to go and play and to try and get his career back on track."

Rooney has also had his say on Maguire's future, with the centre-back recently being stripped of the captaincy by Man United head coach Erik ten Hag.

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The ex-Red Devils skipper has claimed that Maguire has lost the support of Ten Hag and has consequently urged the England international to move on.

"To have the armband taken off you, how does he move forward with the club. That shows the manager really doesn't believe in him," added Rooney.

"It leaves Harry in a position where he has to think on what he does moving forward. The best thing now is probably for him to move."

West Ham United are currently being heavily linked with Maguire, but the Hammers are only believed to be interested in a loan move at this moment in time.