Wayne Rooney BLASTS Manchester United’s lack of leaders as he says Marcus Rashford was ‘never a big talker’ and demands senior players tell him to work harder
- United have had a turbulent season, but ended up winning the FA Cup
- Old Trafford legend Rooney has questioned United’s lack of leadership
- Their second goal was one of the big FA Cup goals… Where has this Man United been all season? Listen to the It’s all Kicking Off podcast
Wayne Rooney has criticized the lack of leadership in the Manchester United dressing room and says senior players need to get more out of Marcus Rashford.
It has been a difficult season at Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag’s side finishing a lowly eighth in the Premier League – their worst performance in 34 years.
They also failed in the Champions League, but achieved some salvation when they defeated Manchester City in the FA Cup final last weekend to reach next season’s Europa League.
It has put Ten Hag’s job under scrutiny as co-owners INEOS consider whether to replace the Dutch coach, with the names Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Thomas Frank and Roberto De Zerbi in the frame.
United legend Rooney – the club’s record goalscorer – wondered which players will actually help the team move forward.
Wayne Rooney has questioned Manchester United’s lack of leadership at The Overlap
Rooney said Marcus Rashford was ‘never a big talker’ and demanded senior United players get more out of the striker
United captain Bruno Fernandes and manager Erik ten Hag at the FA Cup last weekend
“I would say you need five players in a dressing room who can lead a team,” Rooney said The overlapis sponsored by Sky bet.
‘One thing I would say to Manchester United now is: look at the team and you still ask questions about who is the leader. I know Bruno [Fernandes] is captain, but who are the leaders there?
‘I said this a few weeks ago when Marcus Rashford was stuck because of his body language, I think he’s always been like that.
‘I don’t think he’s ever been a big talker on the pitch. If he is going through a difficult moment, or if you want him to work a little harder, then the seniors have to demand that from him. That’s the one thing I would say that I don’t see.
‘Every time Manchester United concede a goal, heads drop too quickly and you almost think they can’t possibly get back into the game. ‘
Such moments were all too common in a season in which United lost fourteen league games and finished with a negative goal difference.
Rooney, 38, has now been appointed manager of Championship club Plymouth Argyle and thanks ex-United boss Louis van Gaal for letting him coach.
United legend Rooney spoke to Gary Neville in the latest episode of The Overlap
United endured a tough season, with a lack of leadership in the dressing room cited as one of the factors
Rashford’s struggles led to him being left out of Gareth Southgate’s England Euro 2024 squad
“Towards the end of my career, probably under Van Gaal, I started thinking about my career after football,” he told former teammate Gary Neville on The Overlap.
‘Even when I was younger I always felt like I wanted to stay in the game from a coaching point of view, but I started thinking about it more seriously when Van Gaal came to United.
‘I sat with Ryan Giggs and he analyzed the opposition for Louis. I sat there a lot and kind of dug into it, and from there I always felt like I wanted to do it.”
Wayne Rooney spoke about The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet
