Barring Ronaldo which was a special - record-breaking - case, players in contract don't really leave Man Utd unless they're on the way down. In terms of wages they can compete with the best on and to me they remain the third biggest draw in world football. To an uneducated Englishman like Rooney (ie not the kind of guy who fancies living abroad) they probably rank even higher than that, and especially if you're already there and up to very recently their best player. It's still a surprise to me to see one of the best players in the world wanting out.
Got to be worrying times for Man Utd fans.
Enjoy, bathe in it for a while..it feels nice.