“Go and play” – Wayne Rooney urges two Manchester United stars to leave Old Trafford

Wayne Rooney has urged Mason Greenwood and Harry Maguire to leave Manchester United this summer in order to secure game time to save their careers.

Manchester United‘s squad has changed drastically in the last 18 months, with the reign under Ralf Rangnick feeling like a lifetime ago.

With all the positive changes that have been made under Erik ten Hag so far, there is one decision that is yet to be made, and that is on the future of Mason Greenwood.

Read More: André Onana confirms “irresistible” Manchester United signing under “master” Erik ten Hag

Greenwood has been suspended by United since January 2022 after videos evidencing alleged domestic abuse circled on social media.

His case has since been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service, however, the club have kept him away, citing that a decision will not be made on his future until their own internal investigation is finished – and Wayne Rooney believes he should leave in order to develop somewhere else.

“It leaves Mason Greenwood in a position where he is stuck,” Rooney explained to David Ornstein. “So for Mason, it’s a bad position to be in because I’m sure he just wants to play football. But for the club, its image and ensuring they make the right decisions, it’s almost a catch-22.

“I think the best thing for Mason now is to get out of the club and go and develop somewhere else.

“He needs to get back playing because it has been a long time. With everything that has happened and how long the internal investigation has taken, it’s probably got to a place now where Mason just needs to go and play and to try and get his career back on track.

“It’s a difficult position for Mason but for the club as well. You have to make sure you get to the right decision before moving forward and it looks like they’re really struggling to get to that place.”

One player whose future is also up in the air is Harry Maguire. Having been stripped of the club captaincy by Ten Hag last week, Maguire was reportedly left “angry” – issuing a statement that he was disappointed with the decision.

Rooney believes that he should move on, for the sake of himself and his career.

“To have the armband taken off you, how does he move forward with the club?” posed Rooney.

“That shows the manager really doesn’t believe in him. It leaves Harry in a position where he has to think on what he does moving forward. The manager has shown he is not part of the plans.

“I’m sure Harry will want to go and play — for himself, for his England career — to put himself in the best position to be as successful as he can. The best thing now is probably for him to move.”

Harry Maguire is expected to be joining his teammates on the club’s tour of the USA, while Mason Greenwood will not be joining.