‘Soul gone’ from Man Utd – Rooney has ‘no faith’ in Amorim

Wayne Rooney believes that Ruben Amorim, the manager, has lost his former team Manchester United and that he no longer has faith in him to bring things back.

On the most recent episode of the BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show, the record-setting United goalkeeper said the team was “broken” and that he expects them to lose.

Manchester United lost 3-1 to Brentford on Saturday, leaving them with 34 points after winning 33 league games in a row.

Despite suffering a terrible defeat that placed them 14th in the Premier League, the club is said to continue to support their head coach.

However, Rooney added that some current players “don’t deserve to wear the shirt,” that the team “needs a new engine,” and that supporters are “waiting for the club to crumble.”

The former England international, who won five league titles while playing at Old Trafford for 13 years, said, “I am not seeing anything that is giving me any confidence.”

United’s worst season in a top-flight campaign since 1973-74, when they were relegated from the old First Division, finished 15th in the Premier League last year.

Amorim, who won the Portuguese title with Sporting in successive years, took over United last November.

The Red Devils’ longest winning streak since 2019 comes with a defeat at Brentford, which leaves them without a win in their last eight Premier League away games (two draws and six losses).

Between May and August 2024, they last won the league twice.

Rooney remarked, “The owners must send a clear message.”

There must be a message about the direction this club is taking, whether it is the Glazers or [minority owner] Sir Jim Ratcliffe. We are all waiting for it to crumble at this very moment.

That football team’s culture has vanished. It is something I encounter every day. I witness employees leaving their jobs and employees leaving.

Amorim responded to Brentford’s disappointing defeat by saying, “I am not that kind of guy; I am never concerned about my job.”

The Portuguese, 40, has received criticism for sticking to his preferred 3-4-1 formation.

Former Manchester City and England defender Micah Richards claimed those tactics could “due to his undoing.” Premier League record-scorer Alan Shearer praised Amorim for avoiding the sack in a statement on BBC Match of the day.

Ex-Birmingham City, Derby County, and Plymouth Argyle boss Rooney, 39, admitted, “I just don’t know what’s going on.”

I tried my hand at management, and it didn’t go my way. I’m happy with it. Although Ron Amorim is my age, he is still a young manager and has a great future, Man Utd is not the same as it was when I was there.

The former England captain, who also led United, continued, “I don’t recognize the entire football club. I don’t see players fighting, characters, or a desire to win.

“I watch a game, expecting that the team will lose or maybe get a point,” I said.

It’s not just the pitch’s results, they say. Everything about the club needs to be fixed; Jim Ratcliffe and the Ineos have created a real challenge.

“We’re seeing staff members who are very important to that football club being fired after 20 or 30 years.

The club no longer has the “soul.” It requires a new engine and new life. To start that football team, something must be done.

Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group bought a 27.7% stake in United in February 2024 worth about £1.25bn ($1.6bn).

In the last two years, there have been controversical redundancies, with the overall number of employees dropping from 100 to 700.