The 20-time English champions haven’t won any silverware since the 2016/17 season.
Manchester United ‘still haven’t recovered’ from the sales of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez over a decade ago, according to Wayne Rooney.
Things in the trophy department have dried up, especially since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013. In fact, United haven’t won the Premier League since then. Their last title was the Europa League in 2017 under Jose Mourinho.
🔴 Wayne Rooney has said that Man United’s decline started with Ronaldo & Tevez exit over 10 years ago.
🗣 “You could see after 2011, Ronaldo left in 2009, Tevez left and after that you could see it was going to go backwards before it can move forwards.“ [The Mirror] pic.twitter.com/Gb5ecXqY2T
— FIVE (@FIVEUK) February 7, 2022
‘They probably still haven’t recovered from that’
But Rooney suggests the club’s problems began before 2013, namely after his old teammates Ronaldo and Tevez left, and caused him to question Ferguson’s transfer policy.
“You could see after 2011; Ronaldo left in 2009, Tevez left and after that you could see it was going to go backwards before it can move forwards,” said Rooney on the Mirror.
“That’s what I could see, and that’s why I was asking the questions. Unfortunately, they probably still haven’t recovered from that to this day.”
The former Red Devils captain also credits Dutch striker Robin van Persie as the reason behind the ‘miracle’ league success in Ferguson’s final year.
Rooney added: “It wasn’t a great team in 2013. For us to win that League title was a miracle, really, I think.
“A massive part of it was Van Persie. I think him coming in gave everyone a lift, coming in at number nine, scoring the goals he scored.
“That was a bit of a masterstroke from the manager, to bring him in and have him hungry because he was a bit older as well. He really carried us that season.”
Manchester United will return to action on Tuesday to pay Burnley a visit at Turf Moor in the Premier League.
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