Wayne Rooney has pledged his loyalty to United – and vowed to stay for the long-term.

The England striker signed a five-year Old Trafford deal last month in a dramatic U-turn, after questioning the club’s ambition and insisting he wouldn’t pen a new contract.

There have since been conspiracy theories that the agreement was signed to pave the way for a £50m exit as early as next summer – to stop the 25-year-old running down his old deal and leaving on the cheap or as a free agent.

It has been claimed he will still depart after this season, but with the Reds now getting the best price for their top asset.

But Rooney, set to feature against Rangers in the Champions League tonight, has quashed that idea, saying: "I read that I’ve agreed a new deal so that the club can agree a higher price with a different team somewhere down the line, which was a load of rubbish.

"I signed a new deal to stay here for the long-term future with United.

"I always made it clear I wanted to be at this club. I had my concerns and voiced my opinion but at the end of the day I’m delighted that my long-term future is at United.

"I want to help the young players the way Giggsy, Gary Neville and Scholesy have helped me. I want to be here and to continue to make this club successful."

Rooney made his first appearance for United since the controversial contract saga as a sub against Wigan last Saturday.

It was a mixed reception but the striker says he was happy with the United fans’ response.

"I’ve been out for a long time, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about the reaction from the fans but the reception was brilliant and I just tried to help the team win and score goals.

"I can understand fans’ frustrations with the contract negotiations, obviously it happened in the public eye which made it difficult but at the end of the day the main thing is for myself and the club that we managed to agree that deal.

"I’ve signed a new deal to stay here and my long-term future is at United."

Rooney was allowed to fly off to the Middle East for a break within days of ending the contract drama while nursing an ankle injury picked up in training on the day Sir Alex Ferguson addressed the situation in a press conference for the Bursaspor Champions League match at Old Trafford.

"I got injured here at the club and the medical team made it clear that they didn’t want me to do anything for seven-10 days. They said it was best to go away and take that time off," added Rooney.

"The club gave me that time away in Dubai because there was no training for me to do. The media made a big thing of it but it’s happened in the past – it was just the time it came out, the press made a big thing out of it.

"I then went to the States with the United medical team to work on my fitness training. It was really intense – I was starting training at nine and not getting back until six or seven.

"I wanted to make sure when I came back in the team I was fit and ready, and not take four, five or six games to get up to speed."

There have been stories suggesting Rooney’s United colleagues were angry with him over his claims about the club. But the England international refutes that, saying: "The players have been fine. There’s no problem whatsoever since the negotiations, not before or after."