In the aftermath of the derby, Rooney’s manager Louis van Gaal said he was “sick” of answering questions about the form of his captain.
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Juergen Klopp said his Liverpool side lacked self-belief after they were held 1-1 at home by Southampton in the Premier League on Sunday, leaving the German coach still without a win from his three games in charge.
“I am very proud of my players because I think we played 90 minutes of a tough game”, van Gaal told reporters.
A few fans of the Red Devils have recently suggested that Wayne Rooney should be stripped of the captaincy due to his continuously poor performances with most suggesting that Smalling would be the ideal replacement.
“I don’t understand this pressure at the moment, but the guys feel it. You can see that”. “I don’t want to put any added pressure on him but everyone in the club is delighted with his progress and hopefully he can keep going”. “Van Gaal still has to demonstrate that United’s possession-based approach is not too sterile, but too much of this game provided evidence for the prosecution”.
Many are expecting Rooney to begin slowing down as a player and this has been the focus of the English media in recent weeks.
Testimonials are ordinarily awarded for 10 years’ service or more, at the discretion of clubs, and they can not be included in contractual agreements for tax reasons.
Manchester United and Manchester City shared the spoils in a forgettable 170th Manchester derby that yielded only two shots on target and finished 0-0 at Old Trafford yesterday.
And to bolster his options against Boro, Van Gaal withdrew youngsters James Wilson and Andreas Pereira from an Under-21 fixture on Monday in order to have the pair in his squad for tomorrow night.
“You can see what a good player he is and he’ll be an important player for us from now until the end of the season”, he said.
Van Gaal again chose Rooney to play as centre-forward and Anthony Martial along the left, despite the latter’s consistently impressive form.
“I am proud of my players”.
Phil Jones has expressed hope that he can forge a formidable partnership with Chris Smalling at Manchester United, saying that he feels “comfortable” playing with him, as per Manchester Evening News. The normally influential Yaya Toure struggled and was substituted in place of Martin De Michellis, which was making City’s intention clear that they were content with a point.
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Rooney’s overall team contribution is necessary, particularly in the tighter matches against better opposition, the problem is exacerbated when he is paired with Juan Mata.
