Manchester United’s “underperforming” players have come under fire from Wayne Rooney after a dismal start to the season under Erik ten Hag.
The Dutchman has come under a lot of pressure at Old Trafford this season after their campaign got off to a terrible start. The Red Devils are currently down in eighth in the Premier League standings after losing half of their first ten league games. In addition, they have been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and sit third in their Champions League group below Bayern Munich and Galatasaray. When asked if he felt sorry for Ten Hag, Manchester United’s all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney responded that working under pressure is part of the job, but he also implied that he had every right to anticipate more from his team.
“That’s the job. That’s part of the job and we all know that when we take jobs, whatever job that is,” he told reporters. “I know coming here [Birmingham], there’s a lot of pressure and I’m sure Ten Hag knows that at Manchester United. I think it’s not going as well as they would liked or would have hoped but I think the players need to take some responsibility as well. I know some of the players in there and they’re not performing to the levels I know they can.”
“Ultimately, it starts and ends with the manager and that’s part of being a manager. He will get the critics, of course, after the last few weeks but I think the players can do a lot more than what they’re doing for him.”
There is speculation that the Dutchman may lose his job if the results don’t improve. It’s estimated that firing Ten Hag and his staff would cost about £15m ($18m), with the Dutchman himself earning about £9m ($10m) annually. Ten Hag made it to the FA Cup final, won the Carabao Cup and finished in the top four during his first season, but he has been unable to capitalise on that success so far this year.
Manchester United take on Fulham next in the Premier League in an attempt to get back on track.
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