Manchester United, the statements of Rooney

“United lack character, heart and emotion: I would start by leaving out Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcus Rashford”. It is the rather explicit title of an editorial in the Times by Wayne Rooney, the former Red Devils forward who is now the manager at DC United, in the USA. But that he hasn’t stopped looking at his former team, following the problems that have enveloped her like a black cloud for 9 years, since Alex Ferguson left her. Rooney speaks as an ex still in love, who cares about the situation of the team in which he wrote the most important chapters of his career. But his editorial, however constructive rather than destructive, becomes yet another fuel on the fire of an explosive situation.

I commit

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“Football has changed a lot during my career, but the basic rules have not changed: if you don’t run, you can lose to any opponent,” Rooney begins, referring to the humiliating 4-0 that United collected on their last matchday at home. of Brentford. The former striker defends Ten Hag’s decision to cancel the day off and ask him to show up at Carrington to run the extra miles Brentford had done in the game, saying aloud that a reaction from the players is needed. . “But this group has no emotion: it is a team without character and heart”. Rooney makes some distinctions: he saves the highly criticized captain Harry Maguire, Fred and Scott McTominay, “who will not be Paul Scholes or Michael Carrick but will always put the balls”. And he confirms that Ten Hag is the man to start from again: “He needs time to understand the players he inherited and give them a chance. But he must also do things quickly: the first priority is Liverpool, and even if I can’t see United win it must be at least a competitive match. “

recipe

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And it is at this point that Rooney offers some advice: “I would not let Cristiano Ronaldo or Marcus Rashford play: if I were Ten Hag I would first of all try to have energy on the field, and Cristiano seems like someone who needs time to get back into shape. And I would let him go, because the goal for Ten Hag must be to build a team that can compete for the title in 3-4 years, and this means rebuilding by focusing on players younger than Ronaldo. ” Rooney sees Rashford’s situation differently: “Looking at him, it seems that when he plays he wants to be anywhere but a football field. year that does not go to the national team. Everyone wants him to be successful, but between the first Rashford, full of passion and smiles, and today there is the same difference as there is between day and night “.

the dig

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Rooney closes with pen and paper what appears to be the main problem of United for the critics: “for the club to move forward, the players the club has its eyes on need to match what the manager wants. current seems to be randomly put together. ” It is one of the main problems of the Red Devils, one of those that threaten to jeopardize the beginning of the reign of Ten Hag.