Krishnan Sreekumar
Wayne Rooney assesses the future of Manchester United as he gives his views on Paul Pogba and Mauricio Pochettino
Speaking to Sky Sports on Monday Night Football, Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney assessed the future of his former club, covering a range of issues that the side was facing ahead of the new season.
United are expected to bring in a new permanent manager in the summer to usher in a new era of success at Old Trafford and put aside the current campaign’s disappointment. Thus far, Erik ten Hag and Mauricio Pochettino have been touted to be the favourites to take the job.
Rooney, who was club captain of the Red Devils, said that he would pick Pochettino between the two options as the Argentine had more Premier League experience and that if given time at the Theatre of Dreams, he would do well. Poch, however, has had a largely tough time at PSG despite them being favourites to win the league.
“I think Pochettino has done it in the Premier League. He knows the Premier League and at Tottenham he brought a lot of players through. He did it at Southampton as well. If I’m choosing from one of the two, that’s who I’d choose. He would need to be given time to place his blueprint on the club and on the team. If you give him time, I think he’d do well.”
The Manchester side is currently led by Ralf Rangnick, who was appointed on an interim basis until the summer after the club sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from the position after leading the team to a string of poor results earlier in the campaign.
“If Paul is honest with himself”
Another topic that Rooney broached on Monday Night Football was Paul Pogba‘s future at the club. The Frenchman will see his current deal with the side expire at the end of the season, and he looks set to depart as a free agent after blowing hot and cold over the past several years since his move from Turin.
The Derby County manager said that it was probably best for the 29-year-old midfielder to move on from United, as he has not had the impact he would have liked since he returned to Old Trafford in 2016 from Juventus.
“I think it’s got to a point where it’s probably better for him to move on. If Paul is honest with himself, he probably hasn’t had the impact he’d have liked since he returned to Manchester United.”
Although the ex-striker discussed his former employer’s dilemmas to sort out next season, it is the current campaign that fans will be worried about. United sit in seventh place in the Premier League, three points away from fourth place that will guarantee them a Champions League qualification play-off spot.
Between them and fourth spot lies competition from Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and West Ham United, who are all chasing the same dream. However, the Gunners are best positioned at the moment to steal a top-four finish from their rivals, given they have a game in hand to take advantage of- even after their most recent PL defeat against Crystal Palace.
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Their loss to the Eagles last night will come as a big boost to the Red Devils, who themselves could not restart their domestic campaign after the international break on a good note, earning only a draw against Leicester City at home.
Regardless of how the season ends, a new permanent manager is expected in the summer, who will be expected to take the English side back to its glory days and win trophies. Until then, only time will tell if Rooney’s comments ring true at the end of the campaign.
