- Wayne Rooney says he was in “shock” and “disbelief” at Manchester United’s 4-1 Champions League defeat at Como.
- Rooney called the players “selfish” and said “they’re like babies” in the wake of comments from Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes.
- He told close friend Michael Carrick to “come out fighting” and asked the United board for clarity on the head coach’s future.
Rooney Delivers a Brutal Verdict on the United Dressing Room
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has said he was in “shock” and “disbelief” at the performance against Como and is as “worried as I’ve been for a long time” about the situation at Old Trafford.
Rooney spoke on the United Stand podcast after the 4-1 Champions League defeat on Wednesday night. The former England and United captain is a close personal friend of head coach Michael Carrick, and he said he understands the questioning of Carrick. His sharpest words were still saved for the players, who he called “selfish” and said “they’re like babies” in the wake of the controversial comments from both Martinez and Fernandes.
“When Martinez came out, I said this is an absolute nightmare because it will rip the dressing room apart,” Rooney said. “That was the start. We’ve seen it now with Bruno and you’re going to see it with more players because they don’t want to take responsibility.”
He went on: “You can say whether Bruno was right or wrong in what he said but you have to take responsibility on the pitch. You have to take responsibility as a group of players.”
Toys Out of the Pram
Rooney then widened his criticism to the whole squad. “These players, they’re selfish. They don’t care about their team-mates, don’t care about the manager, the staff or the fans, they care about themselves. If they’re not getting what’s right for them, they’re like babies and just throw their toys out of the pram and go and deflect the blame on to anyone else but themselves.”
Martinez criticised director of football Jason Wilcox and the club’s summer recruitment eight days before the Como game. Fernandes then criticised Carrick’s tactics after the defeat and said it was up to the head coach and his backroom team, not the players, to spot any issues and change them.
A Direct Message for the Captain
Fernandes’ form has dipped markedly from last season, when he was named PFA and FWA Player of the Year and broke the Premier League record for assists in a single season. Rooney felt the dip is part of the story.
“He [Fernandes] is putting pressure on someone else because he doesn’t want to face it,” Rooney added. “If he looks at himself in the mirror, if Martinez and all of them looked at themselves in the mirror, they’ll find what’s looking back at them is them, and that’s not good enough. They need to show more.”
Rooney Tells Carrick to Fight
Rooney also called on the Manchester United board to provide clarity on the future of Carrick, who he believes needs to “come out fighting”. Carrick will be in charge for Sunday’s visit of Bournemouth even with intense speculation that he is on the brink of dismissal following United’s worst run of form in a decade.
Rooney drew on his own spells as a manager at Plymouth and Birmingham City. “I was in that situation and I can only say now, looking back and reflecting, if I was in Michael Carrick’s position now, I’d come out fighting,” he said.
“There’s no more Mr Nice Guy. There are certain things you’ve got to do to protect them players, but you have to come out fighting for yourself because those players will drag you down and it’s going to be you who’s going to lose your job over it.”
What Happens Next at Old Trafford
United have gone seven games without a win, which is their worst run in a decade. Louis van Gaal’s side went eight games without a victory at the end of 2015. Carrick will face questions about Fernandes and his own position when he holds his pre-match news conference at 13:30 BST on Friday, ahead of the Bournemouth game at Old Trafford.
Fernandes will stay on as club captain and will not be disciplined for his comments, so the next test is how the players respond on the pitch. Rooney has made clear what he expects from them.