He is the ex-vacuum cleaner salesman at the centre of the storm that’s threatening to tear Old Trafford apart.

Agent Paul Stretford is Wayne Rooney’s closest confidant in football, not Sir Alex Ferguson.

It is Stretford, rather than the United manager, who has shaped Rooney’s career – turning him from a prodigious teenager into one of the world’s most sought-after players.

Just as Ferguson gained a father-figure like status with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, being there from virtually day one of their football careers, so too has Stretford with Rooney.

So at his time of crisis, it is to his agent that Rooney turns, not Ferguson. And it is that fact that could ultimately spell the end of his Old Trafford career.

Stretford enjoys the complete trust of the Rooney family, having negotiated his first professional contract.

On Monday, as speculation over Rooney’s future reached fever pitch, he could be found on the golf course with the man who negotiated his £27m move to United in 2004.

Stretford has also turned Rooney’s wife, Coleen, into a millionaire in her own right.

That is why the 24-year-old stood by his agent when he was banned for 18 months in 2008 over FA charges into the way he acquired the right to represent Rooney.

When Stretford left the company he formed, Proactive Sports Management, in 2008, he took the Rooneys with him,
leading to a court battle. At which time, Rooney made his support abundantly clear.

“He has gone out of his way to look after me and make sure I have got the best deals, both from my club and from
sponsors,” he said. “Paul Stretford has also been exceptional in managing my off-field earnings. He has arranged lucrative and high-earning sponsoring deals with Nike, Coca-Cola and EA Sports.”

Rooney’s words represent the reality of modern-day football. The working-class hero, living out his dreams against the backdrop of endorsements for soft drinks and games. Stretford will have assured his star client that lucrative sponsorships will be just as forthcoming at Real Madrid, Chelsea or City.

When Rooney was named M.E.N. Sports Personality of the Year, this paper’s Sports Editor presented the prize.

Under strict instructions that it was a photograph opportunity only, with no questions to be asked, he met Rooney while on another photo shoot.

“What’s with the new look,” he said, pointing to the star’s overgrown facial hair.

“No questions,” interjected Stretford, just as Rooney was about to respond.

It was a small but significant example of the influence Stretford exerts over his client. An influence Ferguson will never emulate.