Neville: 'Time Will Heal' Rooney Ructions

Manchester United defender Gary Neville believes that the ructions caused by Wayne Rooney's contract saga will be forgotten by Old Trafford's fans.

England striker Rooney signed a new five-year deal on Friday only days after saying he wanted to leave.

That was after fans had protested outside his Cheshire home on Thursday.

"It will take time to settle down but once it settles down and time heals he will go on to have a great career and win trophies here," said Neville.

"The right thing has happened for Wayne, for his career, for his life," added Neville, who was speaking after playing his 600th game for United in the 2-1 away win over Stoke. "He has made the right decision.

"The club gets to keep a great player - someone who works hard for the team every week.

Sunday's win ended a turbulent week for Ferguson.

"The players are no problem. Some agents are difficult," said the United manager.

"It is always tough at United. There are always issues to deal with. When your top players come towards the end of their contracts you have to do something to get them a new one.

"They are all the same. You have to deal with agents of this world, which is difficult."

Although Ferguson did not name any agents specifically, Rooney's agent Paul Stretford, who has been representing the striker since he was 18, played a key role in the negotiations to secure his client the lucrative contract last week.

It was Stretford who informed Manchester United chief executive David Gill that Rooney no longer wanted to remain at Old Trafford in August.

After Ferguson insisted both before and after Wednesday's Champions League win over Bursaspor that he wanted Rooney to stay, the striker asked Stretford to set up meetings which ended with him signing his new deal on Friday.