Wayne Rooney says Manchester United have lost their soul and he has no faith in the ability of beleaguered manager Ruben Amorim to turn things around.
Amorim has taken 34 points from his 33 Premier League games in charge following Saturday’s 3-1 loss at Brentford and is yet to oversee consecutive top-flight wins.
United endured their worst league campaign for 51 years last season, finishing an embarrassing 15th in the Premier League.
They spent freely in the summer transfer window, bringing in Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko, but are languishing in 14th spot in the table after their latest defeat.
Rooney, United’s all-time leading goalscorer, said he goes to games expecting the team to lose.
“I just don’t know what’s going on,” the 39-year-old said on his BBC podcast.
“I have tried my hand in management and it didn’t work out too well, so I get it. Ruben Amorim is my age, he’s still a young manager and I’m sure he’s got a massive future, but what’s going on at Man Utd, this is not Man Utd.
“I honestly hope he can turn it around and he does. But… after everything I’ve seen, honestly, I’ve got no faith in it.”
Rooney, who won five Premier League titles and the Champions League with United, said he did not recognise the club.
“I don’t see players fighting, I don’t see character, I don’t see desire to win. I go to a game watching… expecting the team to lose or maybe pick up a point.
“The soul has gone from the club. It needs a new engine, a new lease of life. It needs something to kick-start that football club.
“What is going on, this is not all on the manager, by the way. Players, they’re not deserving to wear that shirt and it hurts.”
The former United and England captain said the culture of the club, which dominated English football for two decades under Alex Ferguson, “has gone”.
“I see it on a daily basis,” he said. “I see staff losing jobs, people walking out of jobs.
“I’ve got two kids (in the academy) at that football club and I really hope this doesn’t affect what they’re doing. What I’m seeing at that football club is not Manchester United.”
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