Wayne Rooney responds to Morgan Whittaker future question amid continued Rangers links
Wayne Rooney insists Morgan Whittaker has given no indication he wants to leave Plymouth Argyle amid continued links to Rangers.
Rooney addressed Whittaker’s future after Argyle’s heavy 4-0 defeat by Sheffield Wednesday on Sunday, as published by Chris Errington of PlymouthLive [12 August] who noted the repeated reports of the Gers’ interest in the 23-year-old in his article.
Whittaker was the driving force behind Plymouth remaining in the Championship last season, scoring 19 goals and eight assists as he featured in every league match, starting all but one.
“Today’s performance was a surprise to me but I don’t think that’s got anything to do with Michael Cooper’s situation or Morgan Whittaker’s situation,” Rooney said.
“Morgan has been really happy and shown no indications of wanting to leave the club. Today’s performance was we didn’t do the basics right. We had a game plan and we didn’t execute it well at all.”
Rangers still hold Whittaker hope
Rangers have held strong interest in Whittaker throughout the summer and have already seen several bids rejected by Plymouth [Football Scotland, 31 July], who want an eight-figure sum for their star man.
Whittaker himself is said to favour a move to Glasgow should he leave Argyle, who remain in a strong position in the stand-off with three years still to run on the 23-year-old’s contract.
Rooney’s side may, however, find that Rangers return with an approach heavily based on performance-related add-ons or staggered instalments.
It could be a difficult campaign for the Green Army in the Championship which would be made far tougher should they lose Whittaker, who for his age carries a decent level of experience which is an attribute Philippe Clement is desperate for in his squad.
Of the eight players to have joined Rangers this summer, five are aged 22 or under – including Mohamed Diomande whose obligation to buy was activated.
Whittaker already has 164 senior appearances in English football under his belt, and is capable of delivering when his team is up against it as Argyle were for long periods last season.
What he could deliver in a team who see plenty of the ball every week and dominate chances could be a scary prospect and outlines why Clement and Nils Koppen would be so eager to secure his services.
In other Rangers news, Si Ferry emphasises that the Gers must keep James Tavernier.
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