Wayne Rooney told Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson he didn't want to go the same way as Steven Gerrard at Liverpool. It was the dramatic deal-breaking moment that led to Rooney signing his staggering new £60million contract, says the People.
In a highly-charged showdown, he confronted Ferguson and American owners the Glazers with the bombshell claim that he could not go on being United's only talisman for the next five years.
He told them he feared a Liverpool scenario - and that they HAD to start buying top-drawer players alongside their policy of bringing through raw young talent.
Rooney said he couldn't envisage a future where the team and fans relied on him to make the difference every time United took the field, like his England pal Gerrard at Anfield.
The United star has seen Kop skipper Gerrard shoulder the burden of single-handedly pulling his famous club through the darkest days of their illustrious history.
Rooney had the bottle to say he could not tolerate United's hated American owners continuing to take money out of Old Trafford without putting any in.
He and Gerrard are close mates and it is believed Rooney is well aware of the burden that has been weighing down the former England skipper.
