Expert: This Man United star has to leave Old Trafford

Former Newcastle and England striker, Alan Shearer, has said that out-of-favour Man United captain Wayne Rooney has to leave the club if he wants to remain in contention for his country.

The England skipper has been pushed to the periphery of Jose Mourinho’s squad, having started on the bench for the last four games in the Premier League, and has been the subject of intense scrutiny since England’s premature exit from Euro 2016.

Writing in The Sun, the ex-Southampton and Blackburn man said:

“For me, Rooney is someone who has to be playing.

“He is not an impact sub, a one-game-in-four player, or someone for those League Cup games.”

The former Everton youngster, who made the move to Old Trafford 12 years ago, has bagged 248 goals in his time in Manchester, has been told by Mourinho that he is no longer guaranteed a spot in his side.

“We know how much it means to him to try to break Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record at United and he will not want to leave until he achieves that,” Shearer continued.

“But if he wants to succeed in his ambition to play in the 2018 World Cup, then he MUST move clubs.

“It looks unlikely he can achieve both.

“He will not get picked for England if he is not playing regularly.”

The 31-year-old has lucrative offers from both China and the MLS, where former England teammates Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, who Shearer compares Rooney to having been in similar situations two years ago, headed off to when their time in the Premier League came to an end.