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Wayne Rooney's drinking habits have gotten him in trouble at Manchester United before
WAYNE ROONEY has encountered problems before following a boozy night out.
Commentator BUTCHERS Rooney after shocking first touch
He was dropped by Sir Alex Ferguson after a Christmas session with team-mates Jonny Evans and Darron Gibson in 2011 – and in the final analysis it ended up costing Manchester United the title.
Wayne Rooney, Evans and Gibson, together with their partners, went out to a Southport hotel to celebrate following United’s 5-0 Boxing Day win over Wigan, although they were not breaking any curfew.
Ferguson, however, reckoned they “weary” in training the next day, fined them a week’s wages and left them out of the team for the next game on New Year’s Eve against relegation-threatened Blackburn, despite already having to select from an injury-hit squad.
Wayne Rooney was snapped looking worse for wear at the weekend
Sir Alex Ferguson revealed in his autobiography that Rooney had a similar incident in 2011
United lost a game 3-2 they were expected to win comfortably and were ultimately pipped to the title on goal difference by neighbours Manchester City.
Ferguson recalled the incident in his autobiography, saying: “In the winter of 2011 I did have to take disciplinary action after Wayne, Jonny Evans and Darron Gibson had a night out. They went across to Southport to a hotel to celebrate our 5-0 Boxing Day win over Wigan.
“They came into training the next day weary. I went into the gymnasium where they were doing their exercises and told them they would be fined a week’s wages and not considered for selection against Blackburn on the Saturday.”
Sir Alex Ferguson wanted Rooney to be like Cristiano Ronaldo
Ferguson added: “Wayne needed to be careful. He has great qualities about him but they could be swallowed up by a lack of fitness. Look at the way [Cristiano] Ronaldo or [Ryan] Giggs looked after themselves. Wayne needed to grasp the nettle.
“I would hammer him for any drop in condition. It was quite simple – he wouldn’t play.”
The Blackburn game proved costly for United in another way.
Paul Pogba has since revealed that Ferguson’s decision to leave him on the bench that day – and play right back Rafael Da Silva and utility man Ji-Sung Park in a makeshift midfield – helped convince him to quit Old Trafford at the end of that season.
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