Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney believes that Cristiano Ronaldo is becoming an unwanted distraction at the club. Ronaldo’s petulant behaviour this season, according to United’s all-time leading scorer Rooney, is inappropriate and would not have been tolerated in the shared locker rooms. In October, during United’s 2-0 victory over Tottenham, Ronaldo resisted being used as a substitute and stormed down the tunnel before the game was completed, which prompted manager Erik ten Hag to bench him for one match. Rooney believes it is up to Ronaldo to make sure he is a benefit to the team rather than a liability after former United captain Roy Keane criticized Ten Hag for his handling of the player this season. Ronaldo is a five-time Ballon d’Or winner.
“I don’t believe so, no. You might agree or disagree with the statement that he and Messi are the two greatest players of all time,” Wayne Rooney said talking about Cristiano Ronaldo. “But I merely believe that what he has been doing since the beginning of the campaign is unacceptable for Manchester United. Roy Keane has defended him, as I’ve seen. That wouldn’t fly with Roy. Roy would never agree to that. Manchester United doesn’t need the distraction right now as they work to rebuild.”
Rooney, who spent 13 years at United and won five Premier League championships, has been pleased with Ten Hag’s performance thus far. Since taking over, the Dutchman has won 65 percent of his games, and Rooney is confident he is the right choice because there is evidence the club’s identity is already being restored.
“Ten Hag has done a great job, in my opinion,” he added. “I’m beginning to see an identity with Manchester United that I haven’t seen in the past two or three years for the first time since he arrived and imposed his authority on the group.”
For more football news, click here
