Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United players are not showing they want to play for Erik ten Hag, saying some members of the squad are “just trying to get to the end of the season”.
United suffered a 1-0 home defeat against Arsenal. Great Sundaywhich puts them in eighth place, on course for their worst ever finish in the Premier League – and they also run the risk of missing out on European football next season.
For United to qualify for Europe next season, they must finish in the top seven – and they are three points behind Chelsea in that position with just two matchdays remaining – or beat Man City in the final of the FA Cup this month at Wembley.
After the match, Ten Hag was pleased with the “attitude” and competitiveness his side showed against the title-chasing Gunners – and believes the United fans are behind him.
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Leandro Trossard strike sinks Manchester United as Arsenal return to Premier League summit
But under Ten Hag this season, United have now lost 19 games in all competitions, their most since 1978-79, while Sunday’s defeat to the Gunners was their ninth defeat at Old Trafford this season, their most at home in a season .
When asked what this result means for the future of Ten Hag, Rooney said Aerial sports: “When you lose games the same way they lose games, big questions are going to arise.
“I think players need to look at themselves, when a manager talks about attitudes and players are not right to play for Manchester United, it’s a huge insult. If I see my manager say that, I can not do it.” let it ride and ride until the end of the season.
“I think some players are just trying to get to the end of the season, that’s my opinion on that. So I feel for him, but it’s his job to make sure the players are right.”
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Asked if he thought the players were performing well for Ten Hag, Rooney said: “If they are, I don’t think they’re showing it very well. The performances, and there’s good players on this team, are well below average.
“Personally I hope they give him time (at Ten Hag), there are a lot of recruitment problems, it hasn’t been good for a few years.
“I hope he gets time to get it right. But we saw it in 2016 when Louis van Gaal lost his job (after winning the FA Cup), so you never know.”
Keane: United attack was so bad | Merson: Injuries are no excuse
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Roy Keane, Wayne Rooney and Paul Merson reflect on Arsenal’s winning goal and how Manchester United’s Casemiro played an important role in bringing on Kai Havertz.
Meanwhile, my friend Aerial sports Pundit Roy Keane criticized United’s attack, which failed to make the most of 14 shots – three more than Arsenal – and 145 touches in the final third.
“The disappointment for me in the last half hour was United. Arsenal have come to Old Trafford over the years and found it difficult, but I bet Arsenal couldn’t believe how bad United were.
“Whatever possession they had, the end product and the lack of quality, you talk about the great teams United have had over the years, the players they’ve had. That last half hour, the take decision, no one digs up anyone, make mistakes, fall, not impose demands on each other.
“That United team over there… they’re so bad.”
United went into the match with 10 injured players missing – but Aerial sports“Paul Merson thinks the Ten Hag team should do even better.
“It was shocking,” Merson said of United’s performance. “They only had 145 touches in the final third and two shots on target. One was from Casemiro from 40 yards and I could have saved it.
“It’s not good enough, we can’t lose nine games at home, it’s Manchester United.
“You can have 10 or 11 injuries, Luton have had 10 or 11 injuries. Chelsea have 10 or 11 injuries, big players like Reece James who is first choice and the captain of the club. And Chelsea are always going to finish above ‘them. .
“Newcastle will come here and win this week. I don’t care how many of them are fit next season, there is no chance Manchester United will finish above Arsenal next season. No chance. They are 30 points behind.”
What Ten Hag said about his team…
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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag remained optimistic despite their 1-0 defeat to Arsenal and believes his side are still fighting for a successful end to the campaign.
Meanwhile, Ten Hag said injuries have cost his side’s results this season – which explains why United have been so open this season.
“We can face the fans,” he said Aerial sports. “On Monday (when they lost 4-0 to Crystal Palace) we certainly couldn’t face them, but you can see the fans are behind us. Today we returned the favor. It should be Standard.
“Attitude. It always starts with the right attitude. That’s what we have to build during the week. On game day you have to be perfect.
“Today we did it (show attitude). When you’re missing 10 starters, we’re competitive with one of the best teams in the league.
“It’s about execution, when you don’t have the right attitude, when you don’t have the right press, it makes it easy for any opponent.
“For a United player, every game is a final. You have to perform to win every game. You have to be aware of that.
“The fans understand where they are. If we have so many injuries, especially in key areas, you won’t get what you deserve.
“The fans are behind us, that’s why they are with us. We are United. We have strong bonds and hopefully we can repay them in the future.
“We have problems, problems are costing us results. But I don’t know where we should be when we have all the players on board.
“If you have the players on board, you get more points. Especially in defense, we concede a lot of chances and a lot of goals. Last season we had the most clean sheets in the Premier League.”
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