Wayne Rooney has instructed Erik ten Hag not to start former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo against Liverpool on Monday evening.
Rooney has urged United’s manager to get more energy on the field, which would imply leaving the 36-year-old out of the game.
Via the Times, Rooney said: “I wouldn’t play Cristiano Ronaldo, and I wouldn’t play Marcus Rashford.
“If I was in Ten Hag’s position my main concern would be getting energy on the pitch, and United’s failure to recruit a number nine means they relied on Ronaldo against Brentford, even though he hadn’t trained a lot with the team.
“He looked like he needs time to get match fit. ten Hag needs energy from his side and that may mean dropping Ronaldo.”
Rooney also described United’s 4-0 drubbing against Brentford last weekend as ‘hard to watch’, saying he has ‘never seen Manchester United so lacking in those basic qualities’.
“Football has developed tactically and improved technically during my time in the game, but the basics don’t change,” Rooney said.