Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has called for the club’s owners to send a ‘clear message’ about where the club is heading after a poor start to the season
Wayne Rooney has voiced his worries about the future of his children at Manchester United, urging Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazers to provide clarity on the club’s direction.
The Red Devils suffered a 3-1 blow at Brentford on Saturday, leaving them languishing in 14th place in the Premier League table, a mere three points above the relegation zone.
After clinching a 2-1 victory against Chelsea, there was a glimmer of hope that United might have turned a corner, but it was back to square one as Brentford triumphed in west London.
A double from Igor Thiago and a late goal from Mathias Jensen handed United their third league defeat of the season, extending their winless streak away from home to seven matches.
Ruben Amorim is feeling the heat, having amassed just 34 points from his 33 top-flight matches at the helm. In fact, since taking over from Erik ten Hag as permanent head coach last November, Amorim has only managed to secure 18 wins from his 48 games in all competitions.
Off the pitch, things don’t look much brighter for United. Since Ratcliffe took the reins in February 2024, he has introduced significant cost-cutting measures, resulting in several rounds of redundancies affecting hundreds of employees. Additionally, United announced a substantial ticket price hike during the summer.
Considering everything together, United icon Rooney has voiced his concerns about the path that United are currently taking, both on and off the field.
“There needs to be a clear message from the owners,” Rooney told BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show. “Whether that is the Glazers, [minority owner] 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.
“The culture of that football club has gone. I see it on a daily basis. I see staff losing jobs, people walking out of jobs. I’ve got two kids [in the academy] at that football club and I really hope this doesn’t affect what they’re doing. What I’m seeing at that football club is not Manchester United.
“I am not seeing anything which is giving me any confidence, there needs to be big changes in my opinion,” Rooney added. “Manager, players, whatever that is. Whatever it takes to get Manchester United back.”
Rooney’s eldest lad Kai has been representing United since 2020 and has subsequently featured for the club’s Under 18s team. Rooney’s younger son Klay is also part of the Reds youth system.
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