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A few weeks ago, it looked like a drawn-out and acrimonious divorce was on the cards.
Wayne Rooney’s fall-out with Sir Alex Ferguson appeared to be adding to the problems confronting David Moyes.
Chelsea were circling, waiting for their moment to strike, ready to take advantage of the turmoil and land the England star for a knock-down fee.
But now, more than he has ever been before, Rooney is the big beast in the Old Trafford jungle.
The King.
United do not bring players into the inner decision-making circle. After all, when Rooney asked Fergie for some inkling as to what the Laird of Old Trafford planned to do to strengthen the side, he was told where to go in no uncertain terms.
But as the champions faced up to losing Rooney, Moyes and chief executive Edward Woodward made the biggest call of all and seemingly transformed everything.
Rooney and his advisers were told how important the player was to the reinvention of United under Moyes. He needed financial reassurance, of course. A deal worth a staggering £300,000 per week gave him that.
A statement of intent was also required. The offer of the armband, the chance to be the next full-time captain of United, meets that demand handsomely.
And perhaps more important than any of that was the decision to let Rooney know exactly what Moyes and the board had in mind to ensure the pain of the last few months becomes a swiftly-forgotten aberration before normal trophy-winning service is renewed.
Telling Rooney about the move for Juan Mata, and of plans to try to land Luke Shaw and other targets, was a clear signal the United hierarchy wanted him to know how much he was trusted and valued.
Fergie would never have gone down that path but United needed to ensure Rooney did not leave. If Rooney had doubts over United’s plans, questions over the lack of deals, they had to be answered.
It was explained to him, for example, that the reason United did not take advantage of Mesut Ozil’s availability at Real Madrid, which allowed Arsenal to land the German, was because Moyes felt he needed to discover what Shinji Kagawa had to offer.
The Scot had not seen enough of the midfielder to make a judgment and even though Kagawa has failed to shine, Mata’s Champions League ineligibility means the Japanese still has a key European role to play this term.
Of course, Rooney has yet to actually sign the new deal that is on offer.
It is understood that key details remain to be agreed between the club and the player, although both parties appear to heading to the same final destination.
Rooney has been kept informed about the club’s views of the trio of established players – Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand – out of contract in the summer.
He was also made aware of how strongly United resisted when Paris Saint-Germain tried to entice away Adnan Januzaj.
The French champions, bolstered by Qatari billions, made a play for the teenager, only to be rebuffed as United made it clear no price would persuade them to part with their latest starlet.
Of all the potential signings though, in this window or the next, none would have the same impact as getting the Scouser to ink his name on a new deal.
Rooney knows now that he is valued as highly as he wanted to be. United have made their commitment equally plain.
He is the linchpin of the club’s future - just as he always wanted to be.
Why not just make him player-manager-ceo-chairman-kitman straight away
