Wayne Rooney has encapsulated the words of every Manchester United fan following Ruben Amorim’s 3-1 defeat against Brentford.
Rúben Amorim is coming under serious pressure at Manchester United following a series of poor results since the start of the 2025/26 campaign.
After a bright and positive pre-season tour in the United States, the club lost their opening tie of the season against Arsenal, although the team played very well. However, a league draw against Fulham and a loss to Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup quickly soured the mood.
After, Amorim secured his first Premier League win of the season with a 3-2 victory over Burnley, albeit through a last-minute penalty converted by Bruno Fernandes.
Since the September international break, United have lost 3-0 against local rivals Manchester City, defeated a 10-man Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford, and were recently thumped 3-1 by Brentford on Saturday afternoon, leading to mounting pressure for the head coach.
Rooney says what all United fans are thinking
Wayne Rooney left United as the club’s top goalscorer toward the end of the last decade, netting 253 in all competitions and cementing himself as an Old Trafford legend.
Speaking on his BBC Sport show, The Wayne Rooney Show, after the Brentford loss, the 39-year-old was aghast at what he saw, and spoke words that almost every United fan will agree with.
“What’s going on at Man United? This is not Man United. I don’t recognise the whole football club,” the England legend said.
“I don’t see players fighting. I don’t see character. I don’t see desire to win. I don’t see ability. I don’t see match winners. Nothing gets me off my feet. I go into a game watching, expecting, ‘OK, here we go again.’
“All day I’ve been debating this… do I say this? Shall I say it? Because I know it’s going to bring pressure, and it’s going to go into media, and it’s going to get picked up and the manager’s going to get asked questions about it, but I feel I need to.
“I was at the football club for 13 years, and what is going on is not right. And this is not all on the manager by the way. I’m seeing players they’re not deserving to wear that shirt, and it hurts.
“When you’ve been in football club for that long and you care for the club, this is not acceptable what is going on. Man United haven’t won back-to-back games for I don’t know how long.
I think there needs to be a clear message. A clear message from the owners. Whether that’s the Glazers, whether that’s Radcliffe, whether that’s… There has to be a message of where this club is going. Because at the minute, we’re all sitting there waiting for it to crumble.
Amorim’s problem is his flawed system
Since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, United have hired six permanent managers, but none of them have yet to establish a consistent culture at Old Trafford.
While the case for many has been a lack of on-the-pitch quality, the same cannot be said for Amorim – the Portuguese boss has a very talented, healthy, and highly-rated squad, especially after the additions of Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Šeško.
Instead, there is a growing consensus among those watching the football world that many of United’s most significant issues stem from Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 set-up at the club. Too often, it leaves players such as midfielders, strikers, and wide centre-backs exposed.
Additionally, there is an argument to be made that Amorim’s setup does not enable his players to reach their highest levels, with Kobbie Mainoo’s lack of involvement thus far a baffling side effect, considering the 20-year-old’s immense talent.
United’s squad is a good one, but it’s being used poorly. Change must be made on the pitch, and Amorim may be forced into changing his match set-up if he wants to change the side’s fortunes and relieve pressure on his job.
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