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As more and more United players find themselves slated for replacement, former team captain Wayne Rooney weighs in support of the overhaul. However, his arguments may be sound but a little too idealistic.
Rooney says to “build it around Bruno”
In a recent interview with Rooney after United’s win against Newcastle, he talked in favour of the plans to swap out most of the team, naming just one senior player he said should stay. “You have to build it around Bruno,” Rooney said, praising Fernandes’ performance and fight, “[keep] the young players, and then I think all the other players, get rid of them.”
It was an extreme statement, but Rooney stuck to his guns, turning down many players he feels simply haven’t been performing to a premier league standard. “To compete with Man City, with Liverpool, with Arsenal, they need better players,” Rooney said.
He doesn’t think this’ll be achievable within a single summer, in spite of all the expected axing to take place in the next few months, but has hopes that we’ll start to see some improvements over the next couple of years.
Alex Cole, another legacy player for the Red Devils, agreed with Rooney’s sentiment, pointing out that “Manchester United has always been built around the young players.” He also mentioned how while the team has been in transition and trying to find its feet, “at some stage, we’re gonna have to stop using that word, ‘transition,’ cause you can’t be transitioning for ten years.”
Sweeping Changes Easier Said than Done
These are all harsh but good points from Rooney, but we must also acknowledge that these are potentially impractical plans.
In this same interview, Roy Keane pointed out that replacing all these players will be a struggle due to all the money on the table. Thanks to United’s poor transfer decisions and singing players on for far too much money, ‘they won’t be budging […] unless they get paid off.’
Not all the players are due to end their contract this year, with many having at least another two or three to go. These types of players are usually sold off to other clubs, but they aren’t players that other teams are eager to bring on. Keane continued, “These players are constantly injured; if you’re constantly injured, you’re no good to anybody […] It’s well and good us sitting around here going “he needs to go,” but the reality is, it’s going to be really, really tough.”
