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Wayne Rooney unconvinced by Manchester United despite Newcastle victory: ‘Needs to be at the right time’
Wayne Rooney assessed Man United’s narrow win, noting that the tactical tweak added some defensive stability but failed to address the team’s bigger issues.
England football icon Wayne Rooney was far from convinced by Manchester United’s display, even after they edged past Newcastle United 1–0. The win pushed United up to sixth in the Premier League table, but the performance did little to silence doubts. It has been a stop-start season, with United grinding out results rather than controlling matches. Too often, they have looked disjointed, lacking rhythm and authority, especially against quality opposition. For Rooney, the result mattered, but the bigger concern was that the overall approach still doesn’t inspire much confidence.
Ruben Amorim’s methods were also questioned early in the season, especially during a run when results went against Manchester United. Despite the struggles, the manager stuck firmly to his ideas, showing little willingness to tweak his approach, even as it became clear that the system wasn’t delivering the desired results.
Rooney offered a measured assessment of Manchester United’s performance after the narrow win, pointing out that while the tactical switch brought some stability at the back, it didn’t fully solve their problems, especially as Newcastle continued to apply pressure after the break.
"The manager changed the formation and went with a back four, which a lot of people have been asking for," Rooney told BBC's Match of the day. I know they didn’t concede a goal, but they didn’t look comfortable, and Newcastle were putting them under pressure, especially in the second half."
The club legend was blunt in his assessment of Man United’s squad depth, suggesting that while promoting young players is encouraging, the current reliance on them highlights a lack of proven quality needed to push for a top-four finish.
"When I look at the squad and the bench, what they’ve got there, they really need players in to try to help them challenge to get into the top four. Listen, it’s great to see the young players on the bench and getting opportunities, but it needs to be at the right time as well, and it’s not, it’s not sustainable at all. They need players in," he added.
“33 per cent possession at Old Trafford”
Rooney also questioned United’s approach with the ball at Old Trafford, pointing out that despite missing key players like Bruno Fernandes, the lack of possession and attacking intent made for an uncomfortable watch, even in a winning effort.
"They’ve obviously lost some important players, and Bruno (Fernandes) is a big loss, but the home games under Amorim, you look at the possession from the Newcastle game, 33 per cent at Old Trafford, I know when the fans go to that stadium, they want to see the team with the ball. They want to see them entertaining, getting crosses in the box and getting shots in. It was a poor performance, but they found a way to win," he said.
