Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney, who has faced a lot of criticism of late, has expressed his disregard for what people say about him, because he believes that most of it is “rubbish”.
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Some observers have questioned whether 30-year-old Rooney, who is just three goals short of equalling Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time United record of 249, is still worth his place in the side.
The former Everton forward, who has played all across the front line and as a deep-lying midfielder, is struggling for form but he is convinced he can get back to his best after claiming he has been under scrutiny his whole career.
Ranieri resisted the temptation to gloat and he refused to be drawn into a war of words ahead of Saturday’s league game: “Mourinho is a fantastic manager, intelligent, clever”, he told reporters.
Not just to get Manchester United back on course, after two consecutive defeats in the Premier League, but from a personal perspective as well.
Rooney was rested for last Thursday’s trip to Feyenoord, but he has started all of United’s other games under Mourinho.
Mourinho, a Champions League victor with Porto and Inter Milan told MUTV: “We had a bad week”.
Rooney, who has been at United since 2004, has had his moments this season, notably setting up Marcus Rashford for a last-minute victor at Hull and also supplying a brilliant right-wing cross that Ibrahimovic headed home in a victory against Southampton.
Last night as United made hard work of defeating Northampton Town by 3-1 in the EFL Cup and, in turn, snapped a three game losing streak, the overriding feeling on social media was not that people expected Rooney to be poor, but that they wanted him to.
“That’s football, I think”.
United’s win over Northampton, built on goals by Michael Carrick, Ander Herrera and Marcus Rashford, set up a fourth round tie against local rivals Manchester City.
Wayne Rooney is unconcerned with the criticism that has been directed his way this season and has called most of it “rubbish”.
The Red Devils had been under pressure heading into that game, having lost three matches on the spin in all competitions.
“For me, I think it’s the ideal draw. But that’s the new football – it’s full of Einsteins”, the Portuguese added.
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Herrera said: “We had a bad week and we want to be positive”. Now we have a chance to play against them, and I am sure it will be different.
