‘It’s got to be a massive takedown’ – Rooney pleads for Manchester United squad overhaul

As more United players are earmarked for substitution, former captain Wayne Rooney is weighing in on the overhaul. However, his arguments may be sound but a little too idealistic.

Rooney says to ‘build it around Bruno’

In a recent interview with Rooney after United’s win over Newcastle, he spoke in favor of plans to change most of the squad, naming just one senior player he said should stay. “You have to build it around Bruno,” Rooney said, praising Fernandes’ performance and fight, “(keep) the young players and then I think all the other players, get rid of them.”

It was an extreme statement, but Rooney stuck to his guns, rejecting many players he believes simply haven’t performed to a Premier League standard. “To compete with Man City, with Liverpool, with Arsenal, they need better players,” Rooney said.

He doesn’t think this will be achievable in one summer, despite all the focus expected to take place over the next few months, but he hopes we’ll start to see some improvements in the next couple of years.

Alex Cole, another legacy player for the Red Devils, agreed with Rooney’s sentiment, pointing out that “Manchester United has always been built around young players”. He also noted that while the team was in transition and trying to find its feet, “at some point, we’re going to have to stop using the word ‘transition,’ because you can’t transition for ten years”.

Radical changes easier said than done

These are all tough but good points from Rooney, but we also have to admit that these are potentially unworkable plans.

In the same interview, Roy Keane pointed out that replacing all these players will be a struggle because of all the money on the table. Due to United’s poor transfer decisions and players singing for far too much money, “they won’t budge (…) unless they’re paid”.

Not all players are out of contract this year, with many having at least two or three more to go. These types of players are usually sold to other clubs, but they are not players that other teams are keen to bring in. Keane continued: “These players are injured all the time; if you’re constantly injured, you’re no good to anyone (…) It’s all well and good to sit here and say ‘he’s got to go’, but the reality is it’s going to be very, very hard.”