Rooney says only ‘deluded’ people think Man Utd trio good enough in 409-word X-rated rant
Wayne Rooney launched into a scathing rant at the Manchester United players, who need a “f****** firework up their a****”, and picked out a trio who have pulled the wool over the eyes of the “deluded”.
The Red Devils players were booed off the pitch following their 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Sunday, shortly after manager Michael Carrick was cheered from Old Trafford.
Carrick is set for a ‘stay of execution’ at the club and will remain in charge for their clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, when Rooney insists the players have to do far more.
“The players haven’t got a leg to stand on. What’s not fair is the performances they are giving,” Rooney said on the Stick to United podcast.
“I looked at the fans, you could see the pain and anger in their faces when those players are walking around the football pitch. You see [Lisandro] Martínez when Rayan ran round him, they are not getting to the ball, it’s so frustrating.
“I could score a goal, had ability or whatever, at least I f****** ran and put myself about as a team. These players are not doing that.
“I would love to go in that dressing room and say, ‘What the f*** are you all doing? What type of performances do you think this is? Do you think you deserve to wear the shirt?’ Put a f****** firework up their a**** because they are not doing anything.
“We are seeing players who are numb, look like they have got no emotion, look like they don’t care. Some of them might care, some good lads who are getting dragged down. It is so frustrating to watch.”
‘Cuckoo land’
Rooney feels that the squad is “absolutely a million miles away” from the level needed to challenge in the Premier League again and took aim at the “front three” who are only good enough for Man Utd if “you are living in cuckoo land”.
“It is at best a mid-table team, but if you look at all the mid-table teams, what do they get? They get players working hard, running, tackling and I keep saying it, going back to the basics. These [United] players think they are better than what they are,” he said.
“Unfortunately, what happened when Michael Carrick came in at the start is that it has given the players and the board false hope that they are good enough. He has done well, stuck together, managed somehow to finish third, then the board are thinking, ‘We are a top four team’, when in reality they are miles away from it.
“You are deluded if they think the front three are good enough. They wanted Premier League players, they have brought lads from Wolves, Brentford, who have done well, but for signings to take this Manchester United team to the next level, you are living in cuckoo land if you think they are going to achieve that.”
Rooney added: “The squad is absolutely a million miles away. The worst thing for Michael Carrick, he has given the board a bit of hope when in reality, they needed a big overhaul and have done for years.
“The midfield, spending that amount on those midfielders, is absolutely crazy. I feel for Michael, he has been let down, he hasn’t been good enough, but the players have let him down massively.”
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