‘I look at the team and you’re still asking questions about who the leader is’: Wayne Rooney on Manchester United’s underlying issues

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Wayne Rooney has provided his opinion on the torrid season Manchester United endured, but stresses that the issue lies mainly in the dressing room

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag looks on during the FA Cup semi-final with Coventry City,
Erik ten Hag won the FA Cup but Manchester United's Premier League campaign was poor (Image credit: Getty Images)

Wayne Rooney has spoken out following the whirlwind season that Manchester United have just endured. 

The Red Devils slumped to their worst-ever Premier League spot, finishing eighth, while they finished bottom of their Champions League group, behind Bayern Munich, Galatasaray, and Copenhagen, respectively.

But the side continued to pick up silverware under head coach Erik ten Hag, triumphing 2-1 over Manchester City to clinch the FA Cup.

Wayne Rooney of Manchester United celebrates scoring his second goal during the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on February 11, 2012 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

Wayne Rooney is Manchester United's all-time top-scorer (Image credit: Getty Images)

The win means that, despite the poor league finish, United will be heading back to Europe next season, this time to feature in the Europa League. 

The future of Ten Hag remains uncertain as the club have so far failed to indicate whether or not he will remain at Old Trafford for next season.

But the club’s all-time top-scorer, Rooney, speaking on The Overlap, brought to you by Sky Bet, has said that the issues the side have faced predominantly come down to a lack of leadership in the dressing room.

Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford.

Marcus Rashford was among the players criticised this season (Image credit: Getty Images)

 “Firstly, I would say you need around five players in a dressing room that can lead a team,” he said. One thing I would say with Manchester United now is, I look at the team and you’re still asking questions about who the leader is. I know Bruno is the captain, but who are the leaders there?

“I said this a few weeks ago, when Marcus Rashford was getting stuck for his body language. I think he’s always been like that. I don’t think he has ever been a big talker on the pitch. When he is going through a tough moment, or you want him to work a little bit harder, that is where the senior players have got to demand that from him. 

Rooney continued: “That’s the one thing I’d say that I don’t see. Every time Manchester United concede a goal their heads go down to quickly and you almost think there is no way back their getting back into the game.” 

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Jacque Talbot
Jacque Talbot

Jacque Talbot is a freelance football journalist who predominantly specialises in transfer stories and exclusives. He began his career in 2016 covering the world-renowned Sandbach United, of North West Counties fame, before earning a spot on the sports desks of national papers, where he bounced between several outlets such as Sportbible, the Express, Mirror, and Daily Star. An NCTJ graduate of the News Associates who swapped investigative journalism in the Costa del Sol for football reporting in Northern England, he first wrote for FourFourTwo in December 2023.