Never one afraid to offer a contrary view on football, as The Daily Mirror reports, Jose Mourinho has given Wayne Rooney his blessing should he want to pursue a move to China.

What's the word?

Premier League players potentially moving to China has definitely been the big talking point of the January transfer window so far and that's never truer than today with Jose Mourinho offering a view alternative to some comments by managers on the subject recently.

Before Oscar confirmed his transfer away from Chelsea, Stamford Bridge boss Antonio Conte described Chinese club's spending power as 'a danger'.

Mourinho though thinks very differently and when asked about the subject in relation to Wayne Rooney, seemed to have no problem with approaches from China.

Quoted by The Mirror, he said:

"I don’t like to be critical of players who decide to go to China. It’s their life, it’s their organisation of their life, their organisation of their career. The money is huge. The experience can also be interesting. I know some of my colleagues think they are more important than they are and think they can interfere in the lives of other people, but I’m not that sort of guy."

Interesting comments I'm sure you'll agree. Is Mourinho right or is he simply stirring the pot?

Interest in Rooney?

There apparently are Chinese clubs interest in seeking Rooney's services this summer with The Mirror reporting that Guangzhou Evergrande and Beijing Guoan are two such clubs.

They reckon that these clubs want to offer the England international a staggering £700,000 per week to bring him to Asia.

If that figure is true then could anyone really blame the Manchester United legend for moving on? The romance and competitive appeal of football is all well and good but that's money that could take Rooney and his family to another level wealth wise.

United should fight to keep him

While Jose Mourinho left the door open for a move to China, he did admit that Rooney is still a big player at the club. He is quoted by The Mirror as saying Rooney can make 'an important contribution for us', showing that life may not be over for the forward in the Premier League.

He is a player that Man United should be looking to keep this summer, even as the Portuguese manager continues to make big changes at the club.

Rooney of course broke the club's all-time goalscoring record on Saturday but it wasn't just a vanity exercise in a routine win, it was an absolutely vital goal that rescued a key point for the Old Trafford side.

He still has the ability to produce those moments of magic and it's an ability that Man United should've give up so easily, especially as his contract runs to 2019.

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