Danny Higginbotham does not think that Wayne Rooney will be leaving Manchester United this season.

Rooney has been in very poor form during the current campaign and as a result, the striker has been dropped by both United and the England national team in recent times.

It is clear to see that Rooney is currently at the crossroads of his career after falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford under Jose Mourinho but Higginbotham does not think that the 31-year-old will be leaving the Red Devils anytime soon due to the fact the team itself is not exactly setting the world on fire.

The ex-United defender told The Sun: "Wayne Rooney believes in his own ability. He wants to play. He is at his happiest when he is on the pitch and he won't want to be on the bench for long, especially not at 31.

"The problem for Wayne is that I can't see Jose Mourinho playing him, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba in the same team because there is the danger of them virtually holding hands in the same part of the pitch. But the team is not performing, so it's not as if they have hit a purple patch since he went out of the team.

"You couldn't say they have gone to a different level without him. If they had he'd be more likely to think the end is near but the team has not stepped up and I'm sure he will be thinking he has a chance to get back in the team.

"I don't think there is a major incentive for him to leave now. It will be different if he gets to the summer and things are the same. Then he might have to go. He will have a year left on his contract and then I'm sure he will address it."