Manchester United’s struggles show no sign of easing, and Wayne Rooney believes the club may be sliding backwards.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former United captain and record goalscorer said he wanted to back the new manager, Ruben Amorim, but admitted the evidence was bleak.
“I want to be as supportive and positive as I can be on the manager and the players,” Rooney said. “But it is very difficult to sit here and say we are seeing progression. We’re seeing none of that.”
United’s latest setback came with a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in Sunday’s derby. Many fans left before the final whistle, a moment Rooney highlighted as telling. “You could hear the fans singing Amorim’s name, but I think it was powerful that United fans were leaving. They were disappointed in what they were seeing.”
United sit 14th in the Premier League, the same position as when Erik ten Hag was dismissed last October. Since Amorim’s arrival in November, the Portuguese coach has spent around £250 million reshaping the squad and installing a 3-4-3 system. But results remain grim.
The club’s form has included a shock Carabao Cup defeat to League Two side Grimsby and just two goals from open play in four league matches. Amorim’s overall record tells its own story: a 36% win rate across all competitions and just 26% in the league — the worst of any permanent United manager since World War Two.
“Quite a lot of league seasons that is relegation form,” Rooney noted. “What is important when you’re trying to implement a new style is you win games as well while you’re doing that.”
Criticism has centred on Amorim’s midfield set-up. With only two central players, United have often looked overrun. Rooney, himself no stranger to tactical scrutiny from his managerial spells, was blunt. “The players have not got the energy and legs to cover the full width of the pitch. They’re getting overrun and overpowered. If you’re struggling, you have to put three in midfield and give yourself a chance to compete.”
For Amorim, who insists he will not abandon his preferred formation, the pressure is mounting. The supporters’ patience appears thin, and the results table makes for sobering reading.
Whether United’s hierarchy stick with their gamble remains to be seen. But as Rooney put it plainly: “If the manager is honest with himself, it has got worse.”
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