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UNITED EXPERIENCE: Wayne Rooney must instigate a move away from Manchester United, according to Paul Ince

FORMER MANCHESTER United midfielder Paul Ince has said Wayne Rooney must take matters into his own hands if he is to move south to Chelsea.

The Premier League holders are adamant the 27-year-old is not for sale and have rebuffed a second bid from the London club, reported to be £25m with another £5m in bonuses.

It is understood the England forward is set on leaving Old Trafford, but as of yet he has not handed in a formal transfer request.

Rooney’s time at the club appears to be heading towards an acrimonious split – new boss David Moyes implied in pre-season comments that the player would be second-choice striker behind Robin Van Persie, which apparently hurt Rooney and encouraged him to look elsewhere.

This season comes before the World Cup, and many international players, like Rooney, will be prioritising first-team football to ensure international call-ups.

Ince said: “If Wayne wants to go, then it is up to him to force that issue," said Blackpool manager Ince.

“But Wayne has not said he wants to go or wants to stay; it would be nice to know what Wayne Rooney wants.”

Ince was sold by the Manchester club in 1995 to Inter Milan after former boss Alex Ferguson believed him to be surplus to requirements despite being regarded as one of the countries top footballers at the time.

Speaking yesterday after Blackpool’s 1-0 Capital Cup defeat to Preston, Ince said he could understand Rooney’s situation.

The 53-capped ex-England player added: “I do know that there comes a stage where players get stale.

“When you look at most players who go to Man Utd, apart from the likes of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, they have something like a six-year tenure and then they move on.

“Whether that is the case for Wayne, I don't know, but I do know that he needs to be playing football this season.

“He will not be prepared to play second fiddle to anybody because he is a world-class player and you expect world-class players to be playing football.”