Manchester United captain Wayne Rooney has admitted that Jose Mourinho was right to drop him from the Manchester United starting XI. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Rooney spoke about his Manchester United career in detail.
The Manchester United skipper admitted that he knows that his performances recently have been below par, especially against Watford. “I had a bad game at Watford. I played bad, I know that,” said Rooney. He also revealed that he understands Mourinho’s decision to bench him afterwards.
“I think if he was picking the next team on the back of that, I understand not playing. The team have done well, certainly in the Leicester game since that.”
Rooney had received a lot of criticisms from both fans and former players after the shock defeat against Watford. English football legend Alan Shearer had called for Rooney’s axe from the England squad while former Manchester United defender Gary Neville told that Manchester United dropping Rooney was “inevitable”.
The 30-year-old also said that he knows he has to work harder in order to get back into the squad, “I understand I have to work hard and try and get back and try and get my chance and take it.”
“I’ll fight. I won’t not fight for my place, I’ll fight to try and get back in,” he further added.
Rooney was asked if he was worried about his current form when he replied, “No. To be honest, I felt I started the season okay. Again I had a bad game, certainly a very bad second half, against Watford. But I am not worried, no.” Rooney also told that he knows he can do better and in order to perform better consistently, he needs to focus more on the game.
The England skipper revealed that he talks to few trustworthy persons after every game who tell him if he had not played well. The former Everton player also admitted that he knows the years at football has caught up with him and said, “it’s obvious I'm not as quick as I was.”
Rooney replied blatantly when he was asked if he feels his current performance is the beginning of the end of his career, “No. It is part of football. It is the challenge and I am determined to get back in the team.” He also told that people who think likewise are entitled to their opinions but he will ignore the critics and try to get back into the team.
Rooney has scored one goal and assisted another two in seven appearances for Manchester United in the ongoing Premier League season.
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