With Wayne Rooney almost certain to have left Manchester United by the start of next season – you can already bet on the new captain of the club with Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic the favourites to replace him.

TheGamblingTimes.com has revealed that Peter Kenyon is involved in talks to take Rooney to China, and his agent Paul Stretford is understood to be in the Far East now – as he could yet move before next Tuesday.

Should Rooney indeed make the move, then United would be losing their captain and Jose Mourinho would have a decision to make.

Tough call

We spoke with Tom McDermott editor of The United End about the prospect of a new captain at Old Trafford and he told TheGamblingTimes.com: “The next United captain is a really tricky shout.

“Pogba has been mentioned but when Rooney doesn’t play it goes to Carrick or Smalling. He [Pogba] is certainly going to be in the mix, but would it be even more pressure for him to handle?

If he stays then I think De Gea will be in the running

“If he stays then I think De Gea will be in the running and although I wouldn’t rule him out I don’t think Pogba is on top of the list. And don’t forget Zlatan, who would probably fancy it too.”

We spoke to Ladbrokes about the prospect of who would take over from him and the world’s most expensive player Paul Pogba is favourite to succeed Rooney on a permanent basis.

Ladbrokes News’ Alex Apati told TheGamblingTimes.com: “There’s no doubting Pogba’s star quality and the odds suggest his Old Trafford stature could get even bigger should he be made the shock successor to Wayne Rooney.”

Next Permanent Man United Club Captain with Ladbrokes – Once Wayne Rooney Leaves
Paul Pogba – 5/4
Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 6/4
Chris Smalling – 4/1
David De Gea – 6/1
Phil Jones – 8/1

Other Wayne Rooney Specials with Ladbrokes
To have a statue built outside of Old Trafford – 2/5
To start EFL Cup final – 7/4
To sign for any Chinese club before transfer window closes – 3/1
To score in EFL Cup final and sign for any Chinese club before window closes – 12/1