Rooney Admits Rift With Sir Alex

Manchester United's Wayne Rooney has admitted falling out with Sir Alex Ferguson during his final season but denies putting in a transfer request.

Rooney says he went to see Ferguson, who was United manager for 26 years, after being dropped in 2013.

"It's not just me who's had a fall-out with him," added the forward, 29, in Rooney - The Man Behind The Goals, to be shown on BBC One on 5 October.

"I don't know what happened or why that came out that way."

The England captain added: "I went in to see him and just said if you're not going to play me it might be better if I moved on - then all of a sudden it's all over the press I put in a transfer request, which I never did."

Rooney did ask to leave United in October 2010 when the former Everton player pulled out of contract talks, saying he had not received "any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad".

Ferguson said at the time he was "dumbfounded" by Rooney's desire to leave but, 48 hours later, Rooney signed a new five-year deal.

United went on to win the title that season, and Rooney later said staying at the club was the best decision of his career.

Rooney served Ferguson for nine years, and the Liverpool-born player says that despite the rift in 2013, Ferguson was "the best manager of all time".

"He was the reason why I wanted to join Manchester United, to work with him," added Rooney on how hard it was to leave boyhood heroes Everton for United in 2004.

"For him to be interested in me and want me to come and play under him, there was nowhere else I was going to go."

England - Capello era biggest disappointment

Rooney has played under four permanent England managers - Sven-Goran Eriksson, Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello and current boss Roy Hodgson.

"The one I've been most excited about was Fabio Capello with his record," said Rooney.

Capello was in charge of the national team for just over four years and took England to the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa, where the Three Lions won just one of their four games.

Asked if that period was a disappointment, he added: "It was. I just expected more.

"The time I've enjoyed playing for England most was under Sven and now under Roy.

"Times in between that I wasn't enjoying it as much as I should've."

A revolution in England if I didn't pick Rooney - Sven

Before the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Rooney fractured a metatarsal bone in his right foot and was close to missing the tournament.

Eriksson, England's manager at the time, reveals in the documentary that he fought with Ferguson over selecting the injured forward.

"It became a fight between Ferguson and myself," said the Swede.

"He just said 'don't dare to take him to the World Cup, that's it Sven... you don't take him'.

"But there would have been a revolution in England if I didn't pick him. They would have thrown me into the sea."

Rooney added: "Looking back, if I was to go back in time, I probably would have sat out the World Cup because it was a big ask to get fit after six weeks out."

Talking further about his England career, Rooney recalled watching England's 2004 European Championship quarter-final penalty shootout defeat by hosts Portugal from a wheelchair in a local hospital after being injured in the match.

"At the time, I felt like I was going to score in every game and help us win the tournament," he said.

Steven Gerrard on Rooney

Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard reveals he went to watch Rooney play before meeting his former England team-mate for the first time.

"There was a video going round of him playing for Everton's academy," said Gerrard, now at Los Angeles Galaxy.

"His name kept coming up to me - 'Wayne Rooney, Wayne Rooney, have you seen anything of him? Have you heard of him?'

"He won't know this but, I went to watch him in a game and he scored a couple of goals. He had the Scouse swagger and the Scouse attitude - I quite liked what I saw."

'I used to love writing poetry'

Rooney reveals his love of poetry before meeting his future wife Coleen.

"I used to love writing poems. Before I was with Coleen, just normal poems," he said.

"I don't know why, I used to like writing little stories when I first got with Coleen. I used to write a lot of poems."

Gary Lineker's hour-long documentary, Rooney - The Man Behind The Goals, will be shown on BBC1 on Monday 5 October at 21:00 BST.

Credit: BBC Sport