One photo which went viral on Sunday shows Rooney leaning in on one blonde woman at a nightclub. The former England striker is said to have gone to the police over an alleged ‘set up’
Football star Wayne Rooney today claimed he was blackmailed over pictures of him asleep in a hotel room with three women, MailOnline can exclusively reveal.
The former England player’s representatives insist that police are investigating after he partied into the early hours with Snapchat model Tayler Ryan and her friends Elise Melvin and Brooke Morgan, all 21.
Earlier today, Greater Manchester Police sparked confusion by saying that they were not probing the incident after Rooney’s people insisted that a formal complaint had been made.
A spokesman told MailOnline this afternoon: ‘We are not aware that this has been reported to police. There is no police involvement at this time.’
However, Rooney’s spokesman has said that the matter has been delayed because it is not clear whether the Staycity Aparthotel – where Rooney and the three girls were pictured and which is on the approach to Piccadilly Station – falls under the jurisdiction of Greater Manchester Police or British Transport Police.
A source close to the investigation has now told MailOnline that Rooney’s team have made an allegation of blackmail to Greater Manchester Police.
Another image which went viral on Sunday shows Rooney leaning in towards a blonde reveller at a nightclub in Manchester. There is no suggestion of any wrongdoing on the football star’s part.
However, the women involved were shocked to discover the 35-year-old ex-Manchester United player, who is married to childhood sweetheart Coleen and with whom he has four sons, had made a police complaint after social media was flooded with images of the night.
A mother of one of the girls has questioned why Rooney drank with her despite a 14-year age gap. Speaking from her home in Barrow on Furness, Angie Saunderson, Tayler’s 43-year-old mother, said: ‘I don’t care about the police complaint. The poor girls were just going out for a 21st birthday.
‘They’re 21 and he’s nearly 40. He’s invited them over. He sent over a security guard to invite them over to his VIP booth. It’s upset them all. They’re in tears. She’s a good girl and comes from a decent family.
‘They thought they were being funny but I’ve told them it was absolutely stupid. I feel awful for them but I’m also angry because they’ve been stupid.’
It comes after Rooney fans seemed bemused he had taken the incident in such poor spirit and questioned what offence he thought had been committed. One said: ‘What crime? Was Wayne Rooney forced at gunpoint to spend the night at a hotel with two women.’
Another joked: ‘Wow…if that’s a crime sign me up Gaffer! I’ll have some of that pre season training!’
Wayne Rooney at Derby FC Training Ground this morning showed little sign of the events of the weekend’s night out
Model Tayler Ryan pictured with ex-England football ace Rooney while they were partying in Manchester on Saturday night
Ex-Manchester United ace Rooney, who is married to Coleen and has four sons with his childhood sweetheart, reportedly partied into the early hours of Sunday with three young women in their twenties
Snapchat model Tayler Ryan (left) and her friends Elise Melvin (right) and Brooke Morgan reportedly partied with Wayne Rooney at the exclusive Chinawhite club in Manchester on Saturday night
Friends of the three girls told the Sun that Rooney, 35, and his friends had invited Tayler (pictured), Elise and Brooke to his VIP booth at the exclusive Chinawhite club
Ex-Manchester United ace Rooney, who is married to Coleen and has four sons with his childhood sweetheart, reportedly partied into the early hours of Sunday with model Tayler Ryan and her friends Elise Melvin and Brooke Morgan, all 21, according to the Sun newspaper
Wayne Rooney has been with childhood sweetheart Coleen for nearly two decades. The pair started dating when they were 16 after leaving school, married in 2008 and have four sons together
Fans on social media seemed bemused the player had apparently reporter the matter to police as a potential crime
MailOnline understands the images were taken on Saturday night, on the first weekend that nightclubs in England were allowed to open in more than 15 months due to lockdown restrictions imposed during the pandemic.
Tayler posted photos of her sitting with Rooney on a couch to her 13,000 Instagram followers. Rooney then reportedly left the Staycity complex ‘angry’ after he woke up.
The friend said: ‘They were all having fun dancing around with Wayne and his mates and posting about it on Snapchat but they couldn’t stop laughing when he passed out. They decided to have some fun.’
Rooney was out partying hours after Derby lost 2-1 away to Salford in a pre-season friendly, the Sun reports.
He is busy preparing his Derby side for the new Championship season, which kicks off in a fortnight’s time. But he faces a significant challenge ahead of his first game, against Huddersfield, because the team currently nine registered senior players – two of which are goalkeepers.
On Saturday he vowed he will not walk away as manager, but warned the club it would be ‘impossible’ for him to field a team for the start of the new Sky Bet Championship season without significant signings.
Tayler posted photos of her sitting with Rooney on a couch to her 13,000 Instagram followers
A friend told the Sun: ‘They were all having fun dancing around with Wayne and his mates and posting about it on Snapchat but they couldn’t stop laughing when he passed out’ (pictured, Elise Melvin)
Rooney, 35, looked on as the Derby players trained ahead of the start of the new season with footballers and coaches
Rooney was dressed all in black and wore a baseball cap to shade his eyes from the bright light from above
The midlands club are currently under a transfer embargo, preventing them from signing players, after failing to provide financial records from previous years.
But earlier this week the EFL altered its rules due to ‘exceptional circumstances’ caused by the club’s coronavirus outbreak last season. ‘It’s other people which I can’t control who need to make bigger decisions that I do,’ Rooney told Sky Sports News.
Rooney is England’s record goalscorer, netting 53 in 119 appearances for the Three Lions. The forward spent much of club career with Manchester United, where he scored 183 goals in 393 appearances.
Rooney also won 16 trophies at Untied, where he moved, aged 18, after completing a £25million move from his boyhood club Everton. He also earned a host of personal accolades, including the 2009-10 PFA Player of the Season award and five Premier League Player of the Month awards.