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Wayne Rooney blasts Manchester United stars for ‘unacceptable’ efforts amid Ole Gunnar Solskjaer criticism
Wayne Rooney has called on Manchester United’s underperforming players to take more responsibility after their “unacceptable” recent efforts amid huge pressure on manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Speculation over Solskjaer’s future has raged of late amid a woeful run of form that has seen the reeling Red Devils collect just one point from four Premier League matches.
That dismal sequence culminated in a humiliating 5-0 home defeat by fierce rivals Liverpool last weekend, with many believing such a dire result and performance would lead to the end of the Norwegian’s reign amid latest links to the likes of Antonio Conte, Zinedine Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino.
While Solskjaer remains in his post for now after high-level talks among the United hierarchy this week, with co-chairman Joel Glazer keen to see him still succeed, he has been offered no long-term guarantees over his future and has reportedly been given three games to save his job, with a visit to Tottenham on Saturday followed by a Champions League trip to Atalanta and derby showdown with Manchester City next weekend.
And while former United star and all-time leading goalscorer Rooney - himself now a manager in charge at struggling Championship outfit Derby County - does not appear to absolve his former team-mate of all blame, he was scathing in his assessment of the players’ poor performances.
"There is a big responsibility on those players. They are world-class players, international players and a club like United need more," Rooney said.
"Those players need to be hurt, need to feel when you lose games how much it hurts you.
"I’m seeing too many players not willing to run back, not willing to defend and not willing to put everything on the line for that club and that’s not acceptable."
"Are you telling me that’s the manager’s fault or the players’ fault? I don’t know,” he added.
"The players have to question themselves. It’s too easy for the manager to take all the stick when those players are being paid a lot of money to do the job and I don’t think they’re doing it well enough."
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