Rooney Denies Manchester United Exit Talks

Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has denied reports of a transfer out of Old Trafford. The England star is presently sidelined with a thigh injury picked up in United's league game against Fulham and is likely to be out for two months.

There was a suggestion the former Everton striker's future at the club was uncertain, following differences between the player and Sir Alex Ferguson during pre-season. The fact Rooney did not start the game against Fulham seemed to add weight to these suggestions. However, Rooney has now spoken out against what he called "rubbish" rumours.

"Heard what people have to say - absolute rubbish #heartostay. Here sorry," Rooney tweeted.

Meanwhile, former Manchester United midfielder Lou Macari also weighed in.

"There's no chance that Sir Alex Ferguson will allow Rooney to leave in the transfer window. It's crazy talk. He's a top player. He's there to help win back the Premier League title," Goal.com quoted Macari as saying.

The 63 year old former Scotland international also insisted there were no differences between Rooney and Ferguson and added the 26 year old striker's omission from the starting eleven against Fulham was a tactical approach.

"The main thing from the Fulham game wasn't that he was omitted from the team. If you want to get someone out the door you can leave them sitting on that bench for 90 minutes. You're going to try and sicken him," he explained.

Vidic: Hard Work Needed

Club captain Nemanja Vidic has spoken out on the importance of a strong work ethic if the team wants to reclaim the Premier League title from rivals Manchester City. The 30 year old Serbian praised the signings of Japanese playmaker Shinji Kagawa and Dutch striker Robin van Persie but warned his team mates they would have to work hard to beat the likes of City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Spurs.

"Sometimes the main thing is to play for three points, not just to enjoy games. We want to play great football but we want three points and we want the title. I think this year we understand that," the central defender explained, adding, "When you don't win the title, the next year is the one where you think 'I have to push more, I have to work harder, I have to do better than last year.' And I think that's the difference. This is how players think. We didn't win it last year - now we really have to perform better. We have to work harder, stay strong as a group and play for each other."

The veteran defender missed almost half of last season with a knee injury in a Champions League game against Swiss side FC Basel.