David Moyes, Ed Woodward and Manchester United have shown who is boss and his name is Wayne Rooney.
Days after the signing of Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata for £37.1 million, striker Wayne Rooney is once again in talks with the Old Trafford hierarchy to extend his current deal which ends in 18 months time.
It has been reported that United are set to offer the English international the captaincy, a testimonial and an obscene wage of £300,000 per week to keep him at the reigning English champions.
The wage in itself is an obscene amount, but we have known for many a year now that the English game has been out of touch with reality for some time. The current crop of players have Jimmy Hill to thank for breaking the wage cap.
But tell me this, why should a multi millionaire in the guise of Rooney - let alone any other footballer of his level - be given a testimonial? They certainly do not need the money and once again it is the fans that are paying the price so that these players can line their pockets further and stay in the lifestyle that they are accustomed too, when their career ends.
Testimonials were part and parcel of the game for decades helping players who had to retire through injury or to help them once their careers were over with. But in the hey-day of testimonials - 1960s to the 1980s - not every player was cash rich so as testimonial was the only thing they were banking on come the end of their career to help pay towards the bills etc.
If a Wayne Rooney testimonial is to take place, then the only outcome for the money generated by the glamour game is for it to be donated to a charity of Rooney's choosing. If he decides to line his pockets further then he should hang his head in shame, like every other footballer nowadays who makes that decision.
But the biggest mistake that United have made is to give Rooney access to what deals they have in the pipeline or are currently conducting. Rooney demanded access to such information when Sir Alex Ferguson was manager and the Scot rightly told the striker to mind his own business and put him firmly in his place.
In his autobiography, Ferguson recalling the moment, said: "It was none of his [Rooney's] business who we should have gone for. I told him it was his job to play and perform."
During his managerial reign at Old Trafford, Ferguson was the ringmaster and everyone danced to his tune. Now it seems that Rooney is the ringmaster and everyone is dancing to the tune that he is playing on his fiddle.
Back in 2004, Ferguson bought Rooney for £20 million from Everton then managed by David Moyes, ten years on and with a new deal in the offing Rooney is set to receive a basic annual salary of around £15.6 million per year - not including bonuses or image right fees. Is he really worth that amount of money? Is any footballer?
There is no denying that Rooney at his best is a great player, but is he better than Cristiano Ronaldo who recently won the coveted Ballon D'Or? That is easy to answer.... No! So why should Rooney be paid more than the man who has been given the tagline of best player in the world?
According to Ronaldo's own website, the Portuguese international and Real Madrid star receives around £270,000 per week - not including bonuses and image right fees. Numbers being banded about claim that Rooney is on £180,000 to £250,000 per week currently, but should Rooney warrant such a fee or would Manchester United be better off selling the striker and bringing in two younger players nearing their peak than trying to keep hold of a player who is past his peak and is now on the short road to decline?
There is no denying that on his day Rooney will tear defences apart, but he is no longer at his peak and you can forgive him for trying to safeguard his family's future by securing one last bumper payday. But the way that the current regime at Old Trafford are doing their business reeks of desperation, giving the player everything he wants and then some.
No player is bigger than any club, Steven Gerrard is not bigger than Liverpool, Cristiano Ronaldo is not bigger than Real Madrid, Lionel Messi is not bigger than Barcelona and Rooney is certainly not bigger than Manchester United. But this deal that is reportedly being offered along with the usual contractual add-ons, paint a picture of Rooney being given a throne in the United dressing room, with everyone there dressing him pre-match in his United garb and tying his laces.
David Moyes may be the club manager and Ed Woodward may be the club's chief executive, but it is Wayne Rooney who is ruling the United kingdom.
All hail King Wayne the subjugator of Manchester United.
This would never have happened under Ferguson.