Former Manchester United assistant Mike Phelan believes Wayne Rooney may want a fresh challenge at a different club.
The striker has been linked with a move away from the English Premier League champions, with Arsenal one of several clubs believed to be interested in his services.
Rooney, 27, reportedly asked to leave the club at the end of last season, the second time he has requested a transfer.
Phelan, who was a trusted assistant of Sir Alex Ferguson s, said it could be time for the England striker to move on.
Wayne is at the greatest club you can be at, Phelan told the BBC.
Why would you want to jeopardise that, unless you want a fresh challenge and you feel that challenge isn t being met at Manchester United.
Rooney is expected to meet United manager David Moyes on Wednesday for further discussions about his future.
Phelan, who left the club in May, said he had no idea where Rooney would end up, or if he would stay at United.
What will be will be. I haven t got a clue, he said.
Phelan said Ferguson was desperate to keep Rooney when he first requested a transfer in 2010, and the sriker signed a five-year deal.
Every player is entitled to express a desire to want to move on. Any player can do that at any time, he said.
In Wayne s case, in the first instance in 2010, he took a lot of advice and got steered towards making that call, but the manager was terrific.
He talked to him and asked why would he want to leave the club.
The press conference Sir Alex gave was a bit of a tear-jerker and it was genuine. There was an element that he d chased this boy and paid big money. He was the boy that could change United.
