Wayne Rooney explains what ‘needs to change’ with ‘frustrating’ Manchester United this season

Wayne Rooney has shared his verdict on the current affairs at his former club, Manchester United.

The ex-captain joined Gary Neville, Roy Keane, Jill Scott and Jamie Carragher on a special episode of this week’s Stick to Football podcast.

United are now on a run of four straight wins in the Premier League and five in all competitions, with recent results proving vital in their quest to close the gap on the top four and reignite some hope of claiming a Champions League spot.

Over the Christmas period, when the Reds were overseeing losses such as a 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, 2-1 away to West Ham United and 2-1 at the City Ground versus Nottingham Forest, the prospect of competing among Europe’s elite next term was all but out the picture.

Now, momentum is seemingly with Erik ten Hag’s men and while they’ll certainly need the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa to continue doing them favours in dropping points, they are certainly in the mix.

Last time out saw United clinch a crucial win against Luton Town in the sides’ first-ever Premier League meeting at Kenilworth Road, but they sure made it hard for themselves; Rasmus Hojlund had a brace on the scoresheet inside seven minutes until, in true United fashion, the tide turned and their inability to kill a game off haunted them yet again.

The Hatters halved the deficit through Carlton Morris in the 14th minute, which made for a gritty, end-to-end 70+ minutes worth of action.

Rooney’s mixed United verdict

Asked for his thoughts on his old club, Rooney told the podcast: “Frustrating.” 

“I think there’s talent in there,” he continued. “But I just think there is a mindset that needs to change. I watch some games and I think they’re good, but then all of a sudden there is a switch which flips, and they can go from being really good to really bad and there’s a lack of consistency.”