Sir Alex: Wayne Rooney will get contract extension

Wayne Rooney did not start Manchester United's Champions League game against Real Madrid, leading to speculation about his future at the club where he has played since signing from Everton in 2004.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

MANCHESTER, England (AP) -Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson says the club has plans to extend Wayne Rooney's contract.

Rooney was dropped to the bench for Tuesday's Champions League match against Real Madrid, United's biggest game of the season, sparking suggestions he could be headed for the Old Trafford exit.

Ferguson on Friday denied that United would look to sell Rooney at the end of the season.

Now the manager says United will offer the 27-year-old Rooney a new deal before the current one expires at the end of the 2014-15 season.

Ferguson says "there's no issue with his contract. When it has to be renegotiated it will be. We don't want players to leave.''

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.