Wayne Rooney urges Man Utd switch motion in January as main fear revealed
Manchester United beating Newcastle United on Boxing Day in the absence of Bruno Fernandes still left Wayne Rooney worried about the club’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League
Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United must bolster their squad in the January transfer window if they harbour hopes of securing Champions League qualification.
United named five youngsters – Bendito Mantato, Jack Fletcher, Shea Lacey, Tyler Fletcher and Tyler Fredricson – amongst their substitutes for the Boxing Day clash with Newcastle United. Only Altay Bayindir, Leny Yoro, wantaway flop Joshua Zirkzee and Tyrell Malacia represented genuine first-team alternatives on the bench.
Rooney reckons the options available to Ruben Amorim require strengthening, saying on Match of the Day: “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. They’ve obviously lost some important players, and Bruno [Fernandes] is a big loss.”
Injuries to Fernandes, Harry Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt and Kobbie Mainoo have weakened the squad Amorim can choose from. Mason Mount also limped off at half-time during the 1-0 win over Newcastle at Old Trafford.
Amad, Bryan Mbeumo and Noussair Mazraoui are also unavailable, as they are representing their national teams at the Africa Cup of Nations. The trio will return at some stage in the New Year, with the tournament finishing on 18 January.
Rooney was far from pleased with the performance without them against Newcastle. He said: “I was worried when I saw the performance, if I’m honest.
“The manager changed the formation and went with a back four, which a lot of people have been asking for. 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.”
He added: “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.”
Amorim also admitted that the team’s performance was far from their best of the season. Speaking after the match, he said: “We played two games in one.
“We had to suffer, all together, in the stadium and in the game. It was really difficult for us.
“We did good in the first half, but, in the second half, we just defend and try to do something with [Matheus] Cunha. We had our opportunities with transitions, but it was a good win.
“I had so many games here, saying we played really well but didn’t get the three points. Today was the opposite; we suffered together and managed to win the game.”
The January transfer window is due to open this coming Thursday, 1 January. It will close a month and a day later on 2 February.
