Moyes endured a troublesome tenure during his short stint as United boss, and his relationship with Rooney appeared to still be on the rocks after the England international's departure from Everton in 2004.
However, that didn't stop Moyes doing everything in his power to stop Chelsea poaching the Red Devils star striker.
"Chelsea were close to taking him," Moyes told the Sunday Times. "Jose [Mourinho] was interested but we wouldn't do any business.
"I had to fight to make sure he stayed - and was at the heart, again, of what Manchester United were going to be moving forward."
GETTY
David Moyes says he had a battle to keep Wayne Rooney at Manchester United
With Moyes' arrival at United after Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, the 51-year-old felt Rooney had lost some of his spark.
"I felt he'd lost a bit of his fight," Moyes explains.
Chelsea were close to taking him
David Moyes
Invalid email
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
"The thing about Wayne was he was always a fighter; he's a technically terrific footballer, can do anything with the ball, but behind it he's a tough boy, a street fighter in his football, and I felt he'd lost a bit of that.
"I think he agreed and probably thought, 'Wait a minute, I have to go back to being a bit more aggressive, a bit more myself'".
