Manchester United's insistence that Wayne Rooney will not be sold in January has failed to quell widespread speculation in British media that the England striker is on his way out of Old Trafford following a bust up with manager Alex Ferguson.

British newspapers all reported yesterday that Rooney has told the club he will not sign a new contract, with United's attempt to downplay the furor surrounding its most important player meriting barely a mention.

In eight months, Rooney has plummeted from "the best player in the world" to a substitute against West Bromwich Albion.

Rooney directly contradicted Ferguson in public last week when he told reporters after England's match against Montenegro that he hadn't been struggling with an ankle injury, which the manager had cited as the reason he had missed previous club matches.

Rooney didn't play the first United game after he was alleged to have cheated on his wife with a prostitute, with Ferguson saying that he was sparing the player from abuse at former club Everton.

But he missed several more games in both the league and Champions League, which Ferguson said was because of an ankle injury.

Ferguson then fueled talk of a rift with the 24-year-old by demoting him to the bench for Saturday's match against West Bromwich Albion.

And Rooney, who hasn't scored from open play since March, was ineffective when came on for last 20 minutes of the Premier League match that saw United squander a two-lead to draw 2-2.

Surprisingly, Ferguson wasn't asked about Rooney's absence in broadcast interviews on Saturday.

Rooney's status as arguably England's one genuine world-class player ensured the story made it onto the front page of several papers. But where could Rooney go?

The Sun and The Times suggest that Real Madrid would be favorite to sign the 24-year-old Rooney, just over a year after the Spanish powerhouse finally succeeded in taking Cristiano Ronaldo against United's wishes. But several others point out that Rooney, who has previously declared a lack of interest in playing overseas, could be forced into a highly divisive move to Manchester City.

United's bitter local rival has spent more than 300 million pounds (US$477 million) on players over the past two years and - backed by the billions of owner Sheikh Mansour - is probably the only English club to have the financial resources to sign Rooney.

City already tempted Argentina striker Carlos Tevez to switch allegiance when his short-term deal with United expired, alienating fans who had idolized him and giving them a new hate figure.

Rooney is similarly lionized by United fans but his contract expires at the end of the 2011-12 season, when he would be eligible to walk out on United on a free transfer.

That would also weaken United's bargaining position when it comes to haggling over a transfer fee, almost certainly ensuring that Rooney would cost far less than the world record 80 million pounds Madrid paid for Cristiano Ronaldo last year.

But even a fee similar to the 26 million pounds United paid for the 18-year-old Rooney in 2004 is beyond most English clubs.

Rooney's other option would appear to be a move to Spain with Madrid or Barcelona, the latter of which is - like Rooney - sponsored by American sports equipment manufacturer Nike.

The married Rooney's private life made front page news this year and Ferguson's handling of the fallout is reportedly the source of the player's unhappiness with the club. Paul Ince, David Beckham and Ruud van Nistelrooy are among the high-profile players Ferguson has dispensed with when his relationship with them has broken down.