Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney confirms he is staying at Old Trafford

Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has confirmed his intention to remain at Old Trafford.

Rooney, 31, has been persistently linked with a move to the Chinese Super League in recent days. Chinese clubs are free to sign players until the close of their transfer window on 28 February but Rooney has now ruled out a move, insisting he is solely focused on United's hunt for silverware this season.

In a statement released via the club's website, Rooney said: "Despite the interest which has been shown from other clubs, for which I am grateful, I want to end recent speculation and say that I am staying at Manchester United.

"I hope I will play a full part in helping the team in its fight for success on four fronts. It is an exciting time at the club and I want to remain a part of it."

After almost 13 seasons at the club, Rooney became United's all-time top goal scorer at the start of 2017, surpassing Sir Bobby Charlton's haul of 249 goals with a last minute free-kick against Stoke City in January.

The skipper has been phased out of the first-team picture this season, however, having not started a league game since mid-December. Rooney is hoping to be in contention for United's EFL Cup final clash against Southampton.

The forward returned to first-team training after a minor injury on Wednesday but did not make the trip to Saint-Etienne, where United booked their place in the last 16 of the Europa League with a 4-0 aggregate win.

United are still fighting on four fronts this season. In addition to their EFL Cup and Europa League campaigns, they continue to fight for a top four finish in the Premier League and have also reached the quarter-final stages of the FA Cup.

Earlier this week, Mourinho was unable to guarantee whether Rooney would remain part of his team until the end of the season. "You have to ask him," the United boss responded when asked about his player's future. "If Rooney one day wants to leave the club then it isn't because of me. I will never force a legend out. You have to ask him, this isn't a question for me."