Sir Alex Ferguson and Wayne Rooney are perhaps the two most influential figures at Manchester United in the 21st century.
The legendary Scottish manager led the Red Devils in an era of dominance which started in the 1990s and lasted all the way up until 2013, when he departed having just sealed his 13th and final Premier League title. In 2004, he signed Rooney and the Englishman quickly became a key part of the team.
Winning five league titles of his own, not to mention a Champions League trophy, Rooney would become United's all-time top scorer with 253 goals in 559 appearances; thus making him one of the very best to ever play at Old Trafford.
Together, they achieved special things. However, they didn't always see eye to eye. In 2010, for example, Rooney nearly quit as he urged Ferguson to sign a talented footballer, but was told transfer dealings were 'none of his business'.
Rooney Wanted Assurances That Man Utd Would Make Key Signings
Ferguson didn't like being told what to do
The player in question was Mesut Ozil. At the time, the young German had established himself as one of the most exciting youngsters in the game at Werder Bremen and had clearly caught Rooney's eye.
Excited by the idea of linking up with the creative midfielder, Rooney suggested Man United make a move. Ferguson, however, was having none of it. As he revealed in his autobiography (via the Mirror), he said:
"Wayne said that we should have pursued Mesut Ozil, who had joined Real Madrid from Werder Bremen. My reply was that it was none of his business who we should have gone for.
"I told him it was his job to play and perform. My job was to pick the correct teams. And so far I had been getting it right.
"Well, he was not on our radar at the time. Ozil when at Werder Bremen played wide right, then towards the end of the season played him off the front.
"He went to South Africa and did very well. But wasn't on our radar. But I explained to Wayne and we get most of our decisions right."
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Rooney would later admit he was in the wrong.
Rooney Threatened to Leave Old Trafford
Was unhappy when Ozil was not signed
At the time, Rooney was negotiating a new deal at Manchester United but had some doubts about sticking around. He wasn't asking for more money, however, he just wanted assurances that the club would be willing to strengthen with some key transfers.
Having seen Ferguson dismiss his hopes of signing Ozil, the English striker was furious. He would release a shock statement, claiming he wanted to leave Old Trafford. Alluding to the Real Madrid-bound German and his concern that they would miss out on more transfers, he said:
"I met with David Gill [United's chief executive] last week and he did not give me any of the assurances I was seeking about the future squad. I then told him that I would not be signing a new contract."
His teammates were stunned, but the forward would quickly backtrack and commit his future to the club. Gary Neville even forced him to say sorry to the squad, but would later admit he respected Rooney's attempt to use his own contract negotiations as a way of strengthening the squad.
As it happened, Ozil would end up playing in the Premier League but at rivals Arsenal. After winning La Liga and the Copa del Rey with Madrid, he'd sign for Arsenal in 2013 before going on to lift the FA Cup on four occasions.
It certainly would have been exciting to see Ozil linking up with Rooney at Old Trafford, but it never came to pass. United fans can blame Sir Alex for that.