Rooney damns ‘United fakes’
Club legend claims injured players are ducking games Arsenal top again after seeing off Ten Hag’s depleted side
Wayne Rooney has launched a withering attack on some of Manchester United’s injured players by accusing them of deliberately ducking out of games to protect themselves for the FA Cup final or European Championship.
United slumped to their 19th defeat in all competitions as Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Old Trafford moved them back above Manchester City to the top of the Premier League table and ensured the title race would go down to the final day.
City can return to the summit by beating Tottenham tomorrow, when Mikel Arteta will hope Spurs do Arsenal a favour by avoiding defeat and giving their north London rivals the advantage going into the final round of fixtures on Sunday.
Leandro Trossard’s 20th-minute goal was enough to see off a severely depleted United and intensify the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag, who was without 11 senior players through injury.
But former United striker Rooney believes there are players in the Dutchman’s squad who are opting out of games to protect their own interests with the FA Cup final against City and this summer’s Euros on the horizon.
“There are some very good players in that squad and the performances are way below par,” United’s all-time record goalscorer said.
“Look at the injuries they have picked up. Some of those players can play, 100 per cent. You’ve got a European Championship coming up, an FA Cup final coming up.
“Because they are getting a little bit of stick now, it is easy for players to stay out of it a little bit and then come back towards the final and get themselves fit for the European Championship. I have seen it myself over the years. I just think the players who have been injured are not filling themselves with any credit and the manager is going to take all the stick for that.”
Another former United captain, Roy Keane, echoed Rooney’s sentiments when he said: “It is not a good sign if players do not want to come back from injury and play. You will always have those that are carrying injuries but you’d hope they would be desperate to get back playing football.
“There are always a few players at a club that drag their heels with injuries, but generally, and thinking of players I played with, if you give them a length of time they’ll be out for, they will look to knock a week or two off that.
“Sometimes when it is a certain time of the season or players are
lacking confidence they are not in a hurry to get back in the team.”
United’s defeat left them eighth with two games to play and at risk of missing out entirely on European qualification.
“It’s very damaging but that is the situation we are in, but we can still get there,” United manager Ten Hag said.
“We have to take responsibility. You can’t progress a team in certain key areas with so many injuries, it’s like swimming with your hands on your back and you have to keep your head above the water.”
With United having endured a wretched season, the club have cancelled their traditional end-of-season awards dinner. It had been scheduled for next Monday – the day after the Premier League season finishes – but with the Cup final on May 25 the club say they do not want any distractions. It is the second time in three seasons the awards dinner has been canned.
Arsenal need City to drop points to stand any chance of winning a first league title for 20 years. Arsenal face Everton on Sunday while City host West Ham.