THE debate about Wayne Rooney’s future at Manchester United is now well under way.

He didn’t start against Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday and that’s been interpreted as Sir Alex Ferguson opening the door and pointing to the exit sign.

If that turns out to be true, then there’s one thing we can all be sure of: Wayne Rooney won’t be playing for another Premiership club next season or in the near future.

The reason I can guarantee that is because Sir Alex has history when moving-on star players.

Going back to David Beckham and moving through the years with players like Jaap Stam, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo – United’s star exports have been sold to foreign clubs, not big rivals at home.

It seems to me that the only time players leave United for clubs in the top flight, they are not viewed as a threat to what Sir Alex is wanting to do at Old Trafford.

No way would he sell Rooney to Manchester City, Chelsea or Arsenal at this current time. If Rooney were to go, it would be to one of the big continental clubs who can afford him.

Personally, I would like to think Rooney will stay at United, because he is a cracking player.

He is a selfless player and has become even more so since Robin Van Persie has taken off the pressure on the goalscoring front.

No longer does he have to strive to get in the six-yard box all the time – RVP is very adept at that – but the tracking back which Rooney does over 90 minutes is just incredible.

You very rarely see him put in anything less than an excellent shift, and that was my only surprise the other night that he didn’t start – because Rooney could have filled the Nani role and done it equally well, if not better.

Tactically, Sir Alex nailed it, because I can assure everyone that Real Madrid were going nowhere until Nani was sent off.

I thought it was a harsh decision, because there was no malice or intent in Nani’s challenge. He hadn’t even seen Alvaro Arbeloa and was just going to try and control the ball.

The most striking thing for me about the whole night, though, was the reception for Cristiano Ronaldo.

When his name was announced, there was a 20-second standing ovation and he just stood there gob-smaked.

He was clearly taken aback by the generosity of it, touching his heart and waving to the fans. No wonder he didn’t get a kick for 20 minutes and, when he scored, he certainly didn’t celebrate.

IT’S Cheltenham Festival time and the best jumps racing you could ever imagine!

I’m down there for the whole week and can’t wait to get involved in all the Sky Sports stuff.

As far as the Gold Cup is concerned next Friday, Tony McCoy has said that given the choice, he would want to ride Long Run.

As the champion jockey, he is not a man to be ignored, and you can bet Long Run won’t be far off another win in the big race.

On the first day on Tuesday, Dynaste looks the best bet for me.

And in the Arkle, I’m going for Overturn – lots of pace and the best of the Novice jumpers.