Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney said he was “shocked” and “in disbelief” at the performance against Como and he is as “worried as I have been in a long time” about the situation at Old Trafford.
And, while he understood the questioning of Carrick, a close personal friend of the former England and United captain, Rooney also branded the players “selfish” and said “they are like babies” following controversial comments from Martinez and Fernandes.
“When Martinez came out I said it was an absolute nightmare because it was going to destroy the dressing room,” Rooney told the United Stand podcast. “That was the beginning. We’ve seen it now with Bruno and you’re going to see it with more players because they don’t want to take responsibility.
“You can say whether Bruno was right or wrong in what he said, but you have to take responsibility on the pitch. You have to take responsibility as a group of players.
“These players are selfish. They don’t care about their teammates, they don’t care about the manager, the staff or the fans, they care about themselves. If they don’t get what’s good for them, they’re like babies and throw their toys out of the pram and blame it on someone other than themselves.
Fernandes’ form has declined markedly compared to last season, when he was named PFA and FWA Player of the Year and broke the Premier League assists record in a single season.
“He (Fernandes) is putting pressure on someone else because he doesn’t want to deal with it,” Rooney added.
“If he looks in the mirror, if Martinez and all of them look in the mirror, they’ll find that what’s looking at them is them, and that’s not enough. They need to show more.”
Rooney also called on the Manchester United board to provide clarity on the future of Carrick, who he said must “fight”.
Carrick will be in charge for Sunday’s visit to Bournemouth despite intense speculation he is set to be sacked following United’s worst form since 2015-16.
“I was in that situation (at Plymouth and Birmingham City) and I can only say now, looking back and reflecting, that if I was in Michael Carrick’s place now I would fight,” Rooney said.
“There is no Mr. Nice Guy anymore. There are certain things you have to do to protect these players, but you have to fight for yourself because these players will drag you down and you will be the one to lose your job because of it.”
Gn sports
