Manchester United News: Rooney warns the Red Devils against signing Bale or Ronaldo

What's the story?

Former Manchester United captain and record goalscorer Wayne Rooney has remarked in a recent interview that the Red Devils and manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer should not splash money on big-money marquee signings.

Rooney has opined that instead of looking to sign players such as Real Madrid's Gareth Bale or Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo, the Old Trafford outfit must instead focus on rebuilding by finding and recruiting talented young players.

In case you didn't know...

Manchester United are undergoing a massive rebuilding process, having finished a dismal 6th in the 2018-19 Premier League season. They have already signed 21-year-old Welsh winger Daniel James and are linked with moves for Gareth Bale, Crystal Palace's Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Sporting Lisbon's Bruno Fernandes.

Wayne Rooney is a bona fide United legend having spent 13 glorious years at Old Trafford between 2004 and 2017, winning 5 Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League title, one Europa League title and one FIFA Club World Cup. He currently plies his trade with US Major League Soccer side DC United.

The heart of the matter

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, the former Manchester United and England captain opined that United must focus on signing and developing younger talent rather than spending big to secure some marquee signings.

"It’s tricky of course but I think for Ole the first thing he’s got to try to do is build a squad. I don’t think bringing in one or two players for over £100m is going to really help with the squad and with the players who are there. I think he needs to try and look at five or six players who have got potential to be top players but you’re not spending £100m, £120m, £130m on these players."

He further elaborated that signing a Bale, Ronaldo or even a Messi will not solve United's problems in the long run.

"I think you’re spending £30m, £40m and then trying to improve them, which will also give you longevity out of the players and allow you to build a squad around the five or six new players who come in plus a few of the players who are still there."

"You could bring three players in – Ronaldo, Sergio Ramos and Messi, or Gareth Bale, for instance – and it’s going to cost you £300m, £350m which you’d get maybe two years out of Ronaldo, a couple of years out of Ramos, and then you’ve written that money off."

He stressed on United needing to return to what the club originally believed in - nurturing and developing young talents.

"I just think the club needs to rebuild with younger players. But obviously they need to be good enough and allow the manager to improve them."

What's next?

Solskjaer and Manchester United head to Australia next for a round of pre-season friendlies. The Red Devils next take the field on 13th July to face Australian A-League side Perth Glory at the Optus Stadium in Perth.