MANCHESTER United legend Wayne Rooney has launched a scathing attack on his former club, declaring that the “soul has gone” from Old Trafford and expressing zero confidence in manager Ruben Amorim’s ability to revive the Red Devils.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, a BBC podcast, United’s all-time record goalscorer said he attends games “expecting them to lose” and believes the team has sunk into an identity crisis.
“Manchester United is broken. I don’t see anything giving me confidence right now,” Rooney lamented.
“There needs to be big changes; manager, players, whatever it takes. Some players don’t deserve to wear the shirt, the team needs a new engine, and the fans are just waiting for the club to crumble.”
The criticism follows United’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford, which left them 14th in the Premier League table with just 34 points from Amorim’s 33 league matches in charge.
Shockingly, United have failed to win back-to-back games since August 2024 and remain winless in their last eight away fixtures (two draws, six losses).
Their worst decline came last season when they finished 15th, the lowest top-flight finish since their relegation in 1973–74.
Amorim, who won successive Portuguese titles with Sporting before arriving at Old Trafford last November, has stuck rigidly to his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation. Pundits such as Micah Richards and Alan Shearer have warned this tactical inflexibility could lead to his downfall.
Rooney also turned his fire on the club’s ownership, urging clarity from the Glazers and minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
“There needs to be a clear message from the owners on where this club is going,” he said. “The culture of Manchester United has gone. I see staff losing jobs and walking out.
“I have two kids in the academy, and I really hope this doesn’t affect them, but what I’m seeing at that football club is not Manchester United.”
Despite the mounting pressure, Amorim brushed off concerns about his future after the Brentford defeat: “I am never concerned about my job, I am not that kind of guy.”
Rooney, however, was blunt: “If you ask me if I believe he’ll turn it around, after everything I’ve seen honestly, I’ve got no faith in it.”
While the board is reportedly still supportive of Amorim, patience among fans and legends like Rooney appears to be running out.
United’s next fixtures could prove decisive in determining whether Amorim remains in the dugout or becomes another casualty of the club’s turbulent post-Ferguson era.