How on earth did a deal get done for Wayne Rooney last week when he seemed on the brink of leaving the club? Deals only get done when the personal needs of each side are met, so what were the needs on each side and how were they accommodated?

There were of course 4 sides to this negotiating square. Sir Alex Ferguson, The club’s owners, Rooney, and his agent Paul Stretford.

Sir Alex has already achieved so much in the game that it can only be the possibility of further spectacular achievements that drives him on. Achievers like to be involved in unique ground-breaking or sensational deals. Turning Rooney’s head around when he seemed poised for the exit door must rank as one of Ferguson’s finest achievements as a deal-maker, so you can see how that would have met his needs. Sir Alex is also someone who likes and commands respect. Rooney’s public apology probably went a long way to meeting these needs after
his earlier outspoken criticism of the club.

For the Glazers this is a time when they need some reassurance that everything is going to be ok. Can they continue to run the club successfully against a mountain of debt? One thing for sure is that task is made much easier now Rooney stays than it would have been if one of the club’s major assets had left. So you can see why they were so keen to stump up some extra cash and promises to keep him.

Paul Stretford is someone with a “belonging” need – a need to belong to that club of “super-agents” who can make or break players and deals. His box would have been ticked whether Rooney signed a hugely lucrative deal with Manchester City, Real Madrid or Manchester United. So his needs would have been met by the adrenalin rush of making his client the highest paid Premier League player – a major reputation builder as a super-agent.

And what of boy wonder himself? Wayne is also a high achiever. Yes, such achievement can be measured in wages, but it is also measured for him in success on the field. I for one, therefore, believe that his concerns about whether Manchester United have the clout to compete at the highest level were genuine.

Perhaps Rooney wasn’t expecting United to be able to meet that need, but the club appears to have met those concerns for the moment, by promises in relation to future investment in players, and so the deal got done, because everyone’s needs were met.

Whether Manchester United actually have the resources to make good on those promises in the coming months is another question. If they don’t, and Rooney feels his needs are not being met as he had been promised, then watch out for an action-replay of this issue in due course.