Former captain says club “unrecognisable” and “needs a new engine”
Wayne Rooney has warned that Manchester United has lost its soul and that “big changes” are needed at the club, calling it unrecognisable from the side he represented for over a decade.
The former United captain, who won five Premier League titles in 13 years at Old Trafford, delivered a scathing assessment of the situation, pointing to issues of leadership, culture and identity.
“I don’t recognise the whole football club,” said Rooney. “I don’t see players fighting, I don’t see character, I don’t see desire to win.
“I go to a game watching, expecting, here we go again – expecting the team to lose or maybe pick up a point.
“It’s not even just results on the pitch. It’s everything about the club that needs fixing – Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have walked into a real challenge.
“The soul has gone from the club. It needs a new engine, a new lease of life. It needs something to kickstart that football club.”
It was expected that Ruben Amorim would start delivering more positive results in his first full season at the club, after a full pre-season of working with his squad, but a poor start to the campaign has resurrected the concerns from United’s dismal performance last term that saw them finish an astonishingly low 15th in the league.
This season they have already lost half (3) of their Premier League games played (6), winning two and drawing one. They were also knocked out of the League Cup by League Two side Grimsby.
“I am not seeing anything which is giving me any confidence,” said Rooney. “There needs to be big changes in my opinion – manager, players, whatever that is.
“Whatever it takes to get Manchester United back. There needs to be a clear message from the owners.
“Whether that is the Glazers, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, there has to be a message of where this club is going. At the minute we are all sitting there waiting for it to crumble.”
