Manchester United cut Wayne Rooney out of promotional photos as captain nears Old Trafford exit

The Red Devils captain is keen on a return to Everton

Manchester United have dropped a huge hint that they will sell captain and record goalscorer Wayne Rooney this summer after subtly cropping him out of their promotional pictures.

Rooney, who overtook Sir Bobby Charlton to become the club’s all-time top scorer this season, is tipped to leave the club after 13 years at Old Trafford, with Everton the frontrunners for his signature.

There is also interest from Stoke City as well as the usual links with China and America, but Rooney is understood to favour a return to Goodison Park.

The England captain, who has not been picked for the last three squads due to a lack of playing time, now looks like that move could be closer than ever after he was removed from Manchester United’s cover photo on their official Facebook page, which has 72.5m likes.

Originally, the page showed Rooney modelling the new kit alongside Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard, but now it only pictures the latter three, all in the same pose, but not the 31-year-old.

He also does not feature in the club’s Twitter picture, but the other three do.