Manchester United great Wayne Rooney has branded the club’s current squad “babies” and “selfish” following a humiliating Champions League collapse and Bruno Fernandes’ public criticism of manager Michael Carrick.
Carrick’s side sit 13th in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s home clash with Bournemouth and could slip into the relegation zone if results go against them this weekend.
United’s season has been marred by internal divisions and their worst domestic league start in decades, leaving Carrick under mounting pressure. Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat at Como further intensified scrutiny of the manager, whose position is increasingly precarious.
Deepening the sense of crisis, captain Fernandes took aim at Carrick’s tactics after the match, saying United needed to be more “brave.”
Defender Lisandro Martinez last week criticized the club’s board for failing to invest enough in the transfer market.
Rooney, United’s all-time leading goalscorer, said he was in “shock” and “disbelief” at the performance against Como.
A former striker and Carrick’s friend and former teammate, Rooney pointed the finger at the players.
“When Martinez came out, I said this is an absolute nightmare because it will rip the dressing room apart,” Rooney told The United Stand podcast on Thursday.
“That was the start. We’ve seen it now with Bruno and you’re going to see it with more players because these players, 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.”
He added: “These players, they’re selfish. They don’t care about their teammates, don’t care about the manager, the staff or the fans, they care about themselves.
“If they’re not getting what’s right for them, they’re like babies and just throw their toys out of the pram and go and deflect the blame on to anyone else but themselves.”
