John Rooney will leave Macclesfield with boss Gary Simpson’s best wishes if he secures a move to Huddersfield.

The 19-year-old striker looks increasingly likely to leave the Moss Rose, with Lee Clark’s League One outfit the latest club to take him on trial.

Rooney grabbed an assist as the Terriers beat AFC Emley 5-0 in a friendly last Friday.

His bid to win a contract at the Galpharm Stadium follows trials at Championship sides Derby and Preston last season.

Rooney – brother of Wayne – is out of contract at the Moss Rose, but Macc would be entitled to a fee if he did move on because he is under 24 and they offered him a new deal.

The striker was not allocated a shirt number when Simpson released the squad list for the new season last Thursday.

Macc’s boss insists the door is not closed on Rooney if he wants to continue his career at the Moss Rose – but he accepts that the teenager is keen to better himself.

Simpson said: "I don’t want to stand in the lad’s way. We offered him a deal, but he wants to test himself at a higher level, which I can understand.

"I hope it works out for him, and that he gets a good move.

"If that doesn’t happen, we will have to sit down and talk. The door’s not closed – but we’ll have to wait and see what happens."

Simpson has not let the uncertainty around Rooney distract him from the task of rebuilding Macc’s squad for the new season.

He completed the signing of defensive midfielder Sam Wedgbury, who was released by Sheffield United, at the end of last season.

And the Macc boss has also used his early pre-season games to look at trialists Carl Pentney, Osebi Abadaki and Andy Nicholls.

Goalkeeper Pentney, who has been released by Leicester, and former Ashton United midfielder Abadaki have both travelled to Northern Ireland with Macc’s pre-season party.

Midfielder Nicholls, who has been released by Stoke, featured with Pentney and Abadaki in last Friday’s 3-1 win at Buxton, but has not gone to Northern Ireland.

The Silkmen’s two-game trip to the province began with a 2-1 win over Cliftonville on Sunday, and ended against Crusaders last night.

They will return to England for away friendlies at Leek on Saturday (3pm) and Newcastle Town next Tuesday night (7.30pm).

"The trialists have done okay," Simpson said. "I’ve had a good chance to look at Carl and Osebi while we’ve been out in Northern Ireland. I’ll be looking to make decisions there fairly quickly.

"Alex is one I’ll be having another look at when we return from Northern Ireland.

"He did okay in the Buxton game, and he’s been training with the youth team while we’ve been away.

"We’ve got another couple of friendly games coming up against Leek and Newcastle when we come back, so I’ll be looking to give Alex a further run-out in those."

Simpson is pleased to have secured Wedgbury, who could not make a first-team breakthrough at Sheffield United but did enjoy two stints on loan at Hungarian club Ferencvaros.

"Sam had heard a bit about me, with us both living in the Sheffield area," Simpson said.

"When he rang me, I had just signed Lewis Chalmers from Aldershot, so I was umming and ahhing. But I invited him to come to training.

"He told me he’s had an offer from another League Two club, but he was keen to come to us so that he could stay in the north.

"And he has actually ended up coming to us on less money than he was offered by the other club that were after him.

"That’s a sign of how keen he was to come here. He’s got lots of energy and enthusiasm and he gets around the pitch. He’ll be a good signing for us."

Former Macc striker Matt Tipton, meanwhile, is on trial at League Two side Bradford.