Wayne Rooney calls out Roy Keane for his hypocritic defense of Cristiano Ronaldo this season

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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has spoken out about the Cristiano Ronaldo saga that manager Eric ten Hag has had to deal with this season, not holding back in his assessment of the situation.

Wayne Rooney has claimed that Manchester United are no better with his former teammate Cristiano Ronaldo in the lineup and has questioned the club icon Roy Keane’s stance on the matter.

Rooney and Ronaldo formed a dominant partnership upfront during the Portuguese’s first spell at the club but the close friendship with Ronaldo has not stopped the Englishman from saying it how it is.

This season has been difficult for the 37-year-old under new manager Erik ten Hag, who has struggled to get minutes under him. And tensions rose when he refused to come on as a substitute against Tottenham, storming off the pitch instead.

Ronaldo had made it clear in the summer that he wanted to leave the club and submitted a transfer request after they failed to qualify for the Champions League but the club didn’t let him go nor did he receive any concrete offer from any club. The only big offer came from an unnamed Saudi club but it was quickly rejected by the player.

Despite Ronaldo’s antics this season, Roy Keane has constantly defended him, suggesting that he is ‘frustrated‘ due to the lack of opportunities.

But when asked about Ronaldo’s situation and whether the club are better off without him in the team, Rooney told talkSport (via Daily Mail),  that ‘it is not acceptable’. He also called out Roy Keane for defending him suggesting that he wouldn’t have taken it if he was United captain. He said:

‘Him and Messi are arguably the two best players of all-time and you can go either way with that, whatever way you decide.

“I just think that the things he’s [Ronadlo has] done from the start of the season really, it’s not acceptable for Manchester United, and I see Roy Keane defend him – Roy wouldn’t accept that. Roy wouldn’t accept that at all. So it’s a distraction which Manchester United don’t need at the minute, trying to rebuild.

“Cristiano should get his head down and work and be ready to play when the manager needs you. I think if he does that, he’ll be an asset. If he doesn’t, I think it’ll become an unwanted distraction.”

Ronaldo stormed off the pitch after refusing to come on vs Spurs

Ronaldo was eventually kicked out of the team and forced to train with the U21s for his actions against Tottenham, and he only returned after apologising to everyone at Manchester United. He has now worked his way back in the picture at United and even captained the side during their 3-1 defeat against Aston Villa.

 

 

 

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