Former Manchester United forward Louis Saha has called out Wayne Rooney for targeting Cristiano Ronaldo in a recent press conference.
Rooney was recently on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, speaking about the impact Ronaldo has had on Manchester United.
When asked if the transfer has worked for the club, Rooney replied: “You’d have to say no at the minute,” his comments relayed by The Mirror.
Ronaldo has scored some important goals, especially in the early Champions League games, but overall United sit in seventh in the table.
“Obviously Cristiano is getting on a bit, he certainly isn’t the player he was when he was in his 20s, and that happens, that’s football. He’s a goal threat but the rest of the game they need more, they need young hungry players,” Rooney added.
The romance of bringing Ronaldo back to Old Trafford may have swayed United’s decision to sign him, rather than going for a younger talent with plenty of years ahead of him.
Former United player Saha has reacted to comments made by Rooney, and he doesn’t agree with the opinion of his former teammate.
“I don’t understand – I’m a bit surprised. To target Cristiano Ronaldo and say we need to move on is wrong. Why don’t we build young players around Cristiano? Let them learn and improve around him. If those players cannot improve and grow then they are not good enough,” said Saha, speaking to BoyleSports Premier League, relayed by The Express.
Both arguments are understandable, as Ronaldo’s experience could help the young players to learn, but him taking up a place in the squad could also hamper their development.
Ronaldo himself responded to Rooney’s comments, uploading a picture on Instagram of him on the Sky Sports show with the caption “Jealous”, as reported by Euro Sport.