Wayne Rooney sensationally accuses Manchester United stars of a lack of effort and commitment and slams their 'unacceptable' displays... as he also stops short of backing struggling boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
* Wayne Rooney has hit out at Manchester United's players following their 5-0 loss
* The United legend accused United's players of lacking effort and commitment
* However, Rooney stopped short of offering his backing to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Wayne Rooney accused Manchester United stars of lacking effort and commitment on Thursday night - but stopped short of offering his backing to struggling boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United’s all-time leading scorer, now in charge of troubled Championship club Derby, watched in horror as his former club were beaten 5-0 at home by Liverpool last Sunday, plunging Solskjaer’s future into serious doubt.
Solskjaer is clinging on ahead of games against Tottenham, Atalanta and Manchester City that may determine his fate. While Rooney gave only a lukewarm assessment of his former team-mate, he was in no doubt who should take the majority of the blame.
‘There are very educated people at the top of Manchester United,’ he said. ‘I’m sure they will be looking at everything to see how they move forward in the near future, whether that’s with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer or without.
Wayne Rooney has hit out at Man United's players after they were humiliated by Liverpool. Rooney (right) chose to stop short of offering his full backing to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (left)
‘The players have to question themselves and look at themselves. It’s too easy for the manager to take all the stick when those players are being paid a lot of money to do the job and I don’t think they’re doing it well enough.
‘There is a big responsibility on those players. They are world-class players, international players and a club like Manchester United need more. Those players need to feel hurt when they lose games.
‘There are high demands at that club, high pressure, and I’m seeing too many players not willing to run back, not willing to defend, not willing to put everything on the line and that’s not acceptable. Are you telling me that’s the manager’s fault or the players’ fault? I don’t know.’
The United hierarchy have resisted calls to dismiss Solskjaer this week, despite suggestions he no longer commands the support of key figures in the dressing room.
After finishing second to City last season, United brought back Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer and also added Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho but their performances have gone backwards, with five defeats in their last nine games in all competitions.
Former England captain Rooney made 559 appearances in nearly 13 years at Old Trafford, scoring 253 goals. He won 13 major trophies in that period, including five Premier League titles – a prize United have not won since 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season as manager.
He added: ‘The Liverpool game wasn’t easy to watch. Liverpool are a fantastic team, similar to United in terms of the world-class players they have and they probably have the best in the world at the minute in Mohamed Salah.
Rooney accused Solskjaer's players of lacking effort and commitment during the heavy defeat
‘But the only difference is that they are working off the ball. At Derby, my players know that they won’t play if they don’t work hard enough. There is no excuse not to work. It’s the first thing I said to the players when I took the job.
‘Whatever decision [United] make they’ll feel it’s the right decision. What I know is you can’t just bow down to what [people on the outside] want.
‘I’m sure United have a plan in place whether that’s with or without Ole. They will make decisions on that at the right time, I’m sure.’
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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-10141999/Manchester-United-Wayne-Rooney-says-players-dodging-dirty-work.html