Rooney tells Manchester United to ditch Ronaldo and Pogba

Former Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney said that Manchester United’s decision to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to Old Trafford has backfired and that the club should look for a younger striker to lead the attack next season.

Rooney gave a brutally honest assessment of United’s dismal season during an appearance on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.

Rooney described United as a “team of individuals” and that even after a major rebuild, it would take them up to three years to challenge for the Premier League title.

The former United captain said the team would be better off without Paul Pogba, who is out of contract this summer, and claimed that Mauricio Pochettino should be the next manager, rather than Erik ten Hag.

When asked whether the re-signing of 37-year-old Ronaldo had worked out, Rooney said: “You would have to say no at the minute.

“He has scored important goals in the Champions League and he scored a hat-trick against Tottenham but if you are looking to the future of the club you have to go with younger, hungry players.

 “Cristiano is getting on a bit. He is not the player he was in his 20s and that happens. He is a goal threat but in the rest of the game they need more.”

Pogba’s second spell at United has also been disappointing, according to Rooney.

 “It’s got to the point now where it’s probably better if he moves on,” Rooney said of the 29-year-old midfielder. “If Paul is honest with himself he has probably not had the impact he would have liked since he returned.

“I watch him play for France and he’s a completely different player. His ability, his vision, control of the game is there every game for France.”

After last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Leicester City, United dropped to seventh in the Premier League.

Rooney, now Derby County’s manager, believes that the players are so disenchanted that this season is effectively a write-off.

 “I think they’d want the season to stop now if it could,” United’s record goalscorer said.

Rooney did not put the blame squarely on the players, insisting that “everything around the club” needed to be changed.

The appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer “didn’t work”, says Rooney, who has not been impressed by his replacement, the interim manager Ralf Rangnick, either. “I don’t think it’s worked with [Rangnick],” he added.

“Pochettino is a top manager, he knows how to work with top-class players and young players. You need to get that blend right because they can’t afford to fail again.

“There hasn’t been a settled manager since Alex Ferguson, so they need to give time to the new manager to build up relationships with players.”

Rooney believes that the new manager can build the team around Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay, Jadon Sancho and Harry Maguire.

Maguire has been criticised for some of his performances this season, but Rooney likes the United captain.

 “He hasn’t been in his best form this season, but then you look at him when he’s with England and he looks like a world-class centre back,” he said.