United manager Sir Alex Ferguson had insisted on Wednesday evening, following the release of a statement by Rooney which blamed the club's apparent lack of ambition for his refusal to sign a new contract, that talks with chief executive David Gill on Thursday morning would put the "saga to bed".
There is a sense within Old Trafford, however, that Rooney's stance might now have softened to the extent that a rapprochement, unthinkable just 24 hours earlier, could be negotiated.
