Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has lashed out at Manchester United over what has been a largely unimpressive 2023-24 Premier League campaign.
Speaking in The Overlap, an exclusive YouTube interview pioneered by his former teammate Gary Neville, Rooney said Manchester United’s struggles in the just-concluded 2023-24 season could also be linked to the lack of leadership.
According to him, the team lacked a leader, especially on the field, and hence settled for their worst-ever Premier League campaign.
The former United forward also seems to aim a subtle dig at Marcus Rashford for not doing enough for the club.
According to him, senior players in the United squad should have talked Rashford into order and demanded more effort from him.
“That’s the one thing I would say about Man United now. I look at the team and I am still asking questions like who is the leader,” the Englishman said. “You are still asking questions like who is the leader in there. I said this a few weeks ago when Marcus was getting stuck for his body language.
“I think he has always been like that. I don’t think he has ever been a big talker on the pitch,” the Manchester United icon continued. “I think he has always been like that. When he is going through a tough moment or you want him to work a bit harder, I think some of the more senior players have got to demand that of him,” he said on the Overlap.
Manchester United finished 8th on the Premier League in the just-concluded campaign – their worst league position in 34 years.
They were also knocked out of the Champions League and EFL Cup to cap a disastrous campaign in decades.
However, the club fought down the setbacks to wrestle down cross-city rivals Manchester City at Wembley and win the 2023-24 FA Cup trophy.
Rashford stoked headlines after the triumph as he went emotional, breaking down to tears.
The 26-year-old had borne the brunt of Man United’s misfortunes, will be hoping to return to to top of his game next season.
He announced recently he is going off social media to heal and come back stronger.
