Summary:
- Wayne Rooney didn’t mince his words when he spoke about Manchester United’s decline since Ruben Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag last November.
- United suffered a 3-0 derby defeat to Manchester City, prompting fans to leave early in frustration.
- Despite spending around £250m on new signings, Rooney believes the team shows zero signs of progress.
Wayne Rooney didn’t use any diplomacy while bluntly assessing Manchester United’s current struggles, saying the team has “got worse” since Ruben Amorim took over almost a year ago, in November.
United, which chose Amorim after bidding goodbye to Erik ten Hag, had high hopes regarding the Portuguese’s ability to bring back their sense of direction and energy. However, Rooney believes the team has shown very little sign of progress under his reins.
Rooney: “It Is Hard to See How It Continues.”
In an interview for BBC Sounds’ The Wayne Rooney Show, the all-time leading scorer admitted that while he is open to giving the new manager more time to adjust and prove himself, his performances so far have been difficult to defend.
I want to be as supportive and positive as I can be on the manager and the players. But it is very difficult to sit here and say we are seeing progression, and at least we’re seeing things that will get results in the near future.
We’re seeing none of that, and it is very difficult. There was an image towards the end of the game where I saw the Manchester United fans leaving.
You could hear the fans singing Amorim’s name, but I think that is so powerful that the United fans were leaving the game. You know the game is over and I think they were very disappointed in what they were seeing. It is hard to see how it continues.
His harsh comments came amid Sunday’s derby, where United were crushed 3-0 by Manchester City, a defeat that left many away fans heading for the exits well before the final whistle. Rooney used this powerful image to reiterate the existing disconnect between the team and its supporters.
Results Speak for Themselves
The bare numbers also underline his concern, as United finished last season with 42 points, slumping to 15th place, their worst top-flight finish since 1989–90 and also their lowest tally since their relegation campaign in 1973–74. The results are disappointing considering management spent approximately £250 million on bringing in new players since Amorim’s arrival.
Amorim has installed the same 3-4-3 formation that brought him success at Sporting and has insisted he will not deviate from it. However, the familiar weaknesses that plagued Ten Hag’s final months in charge appear to have returned.
I think after the last year when Ten Hag got sacked and Ruben came in, we’re hearing how they’re going to play and it is going to change. I think if the manager is honest with himself, it has got worse.
Rooney, who scored 253 goals for United between 2004 and 2017, believes patience is wearing thin, and change is still nowhere in sight.