Arsenal should take a gamble and sign Wayne Rooney on a two-year contract. There’s no love lost between Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger but Petr Cech moved between the two managers and Wayne deserves the chance to choose his next move.

It is pretty clear his time at Manchester United is coming to an end. Jose is saying all the right things publicly but his team selections make it obvious he doesn’t fancy him and that’s his choice as manager.

Wayne isn’t going to be happy going into Carrington on a Monday morning with all the players who were involved in a win the weekend before, buzzing and flying about their performance while he’s sitting there not being a part of it.

He’s obviously a big player at the club but if you aren’t in the team, you are one step removed from all that and he won’t stand for it.

Wayne always wants to play and that’s what made him great. He was a street footballer with the same hunger and desire as a kid in the playground.

It’ll be killing him to sit around as part of a squad, even if he has broken Sir Bobby Charlton’s goalscoring record.

There’s a lot of talk about Rooney going to China but I can’t see that happening, at least not before Tuesday’s transfer window deadline.

Everything would have to be 100 per cent right and even though he has got Paul Stretford behind him – a very experienced guy and top football agent – it is a very long process to get a deal of that size over the line.

I suppose they could have been working on a deal for a while which would help but it makes more sense to keep his options open until the summer. And if Rooney is available then, the Gunners should come in for him.

Arsenal looked at him a few years ago so we know Arsene is a fan. He would improve that team overnight because they have an issue with attitude and he is a winner.

I watched Arsenal the other night at Sutton and I know it was a difficult pitch but some of their younger players were getting caught in possession, losing it cheaply and were putting their team in danger.

In Pictures | Sutton United vs Arsenal | 20/02/2017 50 show all In Pictures | Sutton United vs Arsenal | 20/02/2017 1/50 AFP/Getty Images 2/50 AFP/Getty Images 3/50 Getty Images 4/50 AFP/Getty Images 5/50 Getty Images 6/50 Getty Images 7/50 Getty Images 8/50 Getty Images 9/50 Getty Images 10/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/50 Getty Images 12/50 Getty Images 13/50 Getty Images 14/50 Getty Images 15/50 Getty Images 16/50 Getty Images 17/50 Getty Images 18/50 Getty Images 19/50 AFP/Getty Images 20/50 AFP/Getty Images 21/50 AFP/Getty Images 22/50 Getty Images 23/50 Getty Images 24/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/50 Getty Images 26/50 Getty Images 27/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 28/50 Getty Images 29/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 30/50 Getty Images 31/50 AFP/Getty Images 32/50 Getty Images 33/50 Getty Images 34/50 Getty Images 35/50 Getty Images 36/50 Getty Images 37/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 38/50 Getty Images 39/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 40/50 Getty Images 41/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 42/50 Getty Images 43/50 AFP/Getty Images 44/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 45/50 Getty Images 46/50 Getty Images 47/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 48/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 49/50 Getty Images 50/50 AFP/Getty Images 1/50 AFP/Getty Images 2/50 AFP/Getty Images 3/50 Getty Images 4/50 AFP/Getty Images 5/50 Getty Images 6/50 Getty Images 7/50 Getty Images 8/50 Getty Images 9/50 Getty Images 10/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 11/50 Getty Images 12/50 Getty Images 13/50 Getty Images 14/50 Getty Images 15/50 Getty Images 16/50 Getty Images 17/50 Getty Images 18/50 Getty Images 19/50 AFP/Getty Images 20/50 AFP/Getty Images 21/50 AFP/Getty Images 22/50 Getty Images 23/50 Getty Images 24/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 25/50 Getty Images 26/50 Getty Images 27/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 28/50 Getty Images 29/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 30/50 Getty Images 31/50 AFP/Getty Images 32/50 Getty Images 33/50 Getty Images 34/50 Getty Images 35/50 Getty Images 36/50 Getty Images 37/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 38/50 Getty Images 39/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 40/50 Getty Images 41/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 42/50 Getty Images 43/50 AFP/Getty Images 44/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 45/50 Getty Images 46/50 Getty Images 47/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 48/50 Arsenal FC via Getty Images 49/50 Getty Images 50/50 AFP/Getty Images

There was nobody there shouting: “Oi, f***ing liven up!” They get away with it all the time. Nobody sticks the boot into them, whether that’s from the dugout or other players on the pitch. Rooney would be someone out there on his team-mates’ case, digging them out if they aren’t at it. That would be invaluable for Arsenal.

Everyone always says they have no leaders and that’s because it is true. Theo Walcott captained the team the other day. Kieran Gibbs did the same for half an hour against Bayern Munich last week when Laurent Koscielny got injured. Neither of them are true leaders.

Say what you like about Wayne but his experience and will-to-win is up there with the very best. I saw a couple of Arsenal lads lose the ball and just stand there against Sutton. You need Wayne out there on the pitch getting straight into their faces reminding them what’s what.

He would make Arsene’s job a lot easier when you have someone doing that in the dressing room. Cech will have helped with that but he can’t do it on his own. Wayne knows a few of them from England and his standing in the game would make them take sit up and notice.

Arsene always had Tony Adams or Patrick Vieira to set standards and call people out for him. Maybe Rooney could do that job for him now.

A new challenge would give Rooney a lift, too. Things have gone stale for him but I still think he could be effective as a striker or number ten in a Premier League team. Everton might fancy him but wages would be a problem. Chelsea liked him a while back but he wouldn’t get into their team ahead of Diego Costa and he has struggled to adapt his game well enough to be an effective midfielder for a top side.

Nobody can compete with the money on offer in China or America but if he went to either of those countries, his England career would be over.

How can Gareth Southgate judge how well he is playing in leagues of such poor quality? There would be no guidelines along which to gauge his form because he’d be playing at a level so far short of what is required.

Wayne Rooney: England highs and lows 10 show all Wayne Rooney: England highs and lows 1/10 Wayne Rooney's highs and lows With the England captain dropped by interim manager Gareth Southgate, the Press Association look back at some of the striker's most memorable moments... AFP/Getty Images 2/10 High: England's youngest goalscorer Despite the increased amount of young talent now breaking into the England team earlier than their predecessors, Rooney still holds the record for being the youngest to score. His landmark goal came via a half-volley in a 2-1 win away to Macedonia in September 2003 at the age of just 17 years and 317 days. 3/10 High: International emergence Arguably Rooney's best tournament in an England shirt was Euro 2004 in Portugal when the young tyro scored four times as the Three Lions reached the quarter-finals and he was named in team of the tournament. Getty Images 4/10 Low: World Cup red card Rooney went into the 2006 tournament in Germany under something of a cloud having broken a metatarsal just six weeks beforehand, meaning doubts were expressed about his fitness. Rooney's World Cup ended in disgrace as he was sent off in the quarter-final defeat to Portugal after stamping on opponent Ricardo Carvalho. AFP/Getty Images 5/10 Low: Fans' blast Another World Cup, this time in South Africa in 2010, which ended in disappointment. Rooney's relationship with supporters nose-dived when, after a frustrating goalless group phase draw with Algeria, he sarcastically said "Nice to see your home (own) fans booing you" right down the lens of an on-pitch television camera. Getty Images 6/10 High: Captaincy After the international retirement of Steven Gerrard following the 2014 World Cup, then manager Roy Hodgson turned to Rooney as his successor. Rooney said it was "beyond his wildest dreams". Getty Images 7/10 High: England's record goalscorer Sir Bobby Charlton's record tally of 49 had stood for 45 years and, after the likes of Gary Lineker and Michael Owen came up short, Rooney eventually surpassed it. Fittingly for the striker - who has been criticised for not scoring in key matches - it came in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland in September 2015, albeit from the penalty spot. AFP/Getty Images 8/10 Low: Wembley woe Rooney was jeered by frustrated fans after the Manchester United star capped a disappointing performance with a wayward shot in the closing stages of Saturday's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Malta at Wembley. AFP/Getty Images 9/10 Low: Dropped Gareth Southgate has decided to drop Rooney for England's 2018 World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. AFP/Getty Images 10/10 Low: Apology Rooney offered an "unreserved" apology to Southgate and the FA after pictures emerged of the England captain looking worse for wear at the team hotel following the 3-0 victory over Scotland. Rex Features 1/10 Wayne Rooney's highs and lows With the England captain dropped by interim manager Gareth Southgate, the Press Association look back at some of the striker's most memorable moments... AFP/Getty Images 2/10 High: England's youngest goalscorer Despite the increased amount of young talent now breaking into the England team earlier than their predecessors, Rooney still holds the record for being the youngest to score. His landmark goal came via a half-volley in a 2-1 win away to Macedonia in September 2003 at the age of just 17 years and 317 days. 3/10 High: International emergence Arguably Rooney's best tournament in an England shirt was Euro 2004 in Portugal when the young tyro scored four times as the Three Lions reached the quarter-finals and he was named in team of the tournament. Getty Images 4/10 Low: World Cup red card Rooney went into the 2006 tournament in Germany under something of a cloud having broken a metatarsal just six weeks beforehand, meaning doubts were expressed about his fitness. Rooney's World Cup ended in disgrace as he was sent off in the quarter-final defeat to Portugal after stamping on opponent Ricardo Carvalho. AFP/Getty Images 5/10 Low: Fans' blast Another World Cup, this time in South Africa in 2010, which ended in disappointment. Rooney's relationship with supporters nose-dived when, after a frustrating goalless group phase draw with Algeria, he sarcastically said "Nice to see your home (own) fans booing you" right down the lens of an on-pitch television camera. Getty Images 6/10 High: Captaincy After the international retirement of Steven Gerrard following the 2014 World Cup, then manager Roy Hodgson turned to Rooney as his successor. Rooney said it was "beyond his wildest dreams". Getty Images 7/10 High: England's record goalscorer Sir Bobby Charlton's record tally of 49 had stood for 45 years and, after the likes of Gary Lineker and Michael Owen came up short, Rooney eventually surpassed it. Fittingly for the striker - who has been criticised for not scoring in key matches - it came in a Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland in September 2015, albeit from the penalty spot. AFP/Getty Images 8/10 Low: Wembley woe Rooney was jeered by frustrated fans after the Manchester United star capped a disappointing performance with a wayward shot in the closing stages of Saturday's 2-0 World Cup qualifying win over Malta at Wembley. AFP/Getty Images 9/10 Low: Dropped Gareth Southgate has decided to drop Rooney for England's 2018 World Cup qualifier against Slovenia. AFP/Getty Images 10/10 Low: Apology Rooney offered an "unreserved" apology to Southgate and the FA after pictures emerged of the England captain looking worse for wear at the team hotel following the 3-0 victory over Scotland. Rex Features

The game is completely different in those two countries. The travelling would also make it very impractical.

Wayne says he wants to keep going with England until the World Cup in Russia next summer. His best chance of doing that would be to stay in the Premier League. He may not be the player of old but he’s still the type of character to help take a team to the next level. And that’s just what Arsenal need.