Wayne Rooney has harshly criticised Bruno Fernandes for his role in Roma's first goal during the Champions League match. The former Manchester United striker believes the captain should have covered Diogo Dalot and taken more responsibility.
Manchester United had a disastrous first half and went into the break trailing 0-2.
Rooney was particularly concerned about the team's off-the-ball performance:
For the first goal, if you are playing in a certain system and Dalot goes high, Bruno should occupy that position.
He has to run back. You are the captain of a football club — run back and take responsibility.
You are a team and have to act like a team.
If a partner is not in their position, even if you don’t want to run there or come back, you still have to do it.
Rooney also expressed his emotional concerns regarding the team's overall condition:
I feel very sorry for the fans because they don’t know what to do anymore.
They haven’t been in this situation for many years and now they don’t know whether to support the team or put pressure on them.
I really feel for them.
The team has simply run out of ideas.
There is no confidence or belief in themselves. The team has just fallen apart.
After the break, Manchester United completely turned the game around.
Bruno Fernandes converted a retaken penalty, and Matheus Cunha then scored a brace to hand the hosts a 3-2 victory.
Rooney acknowledged that the second half looked very different:
The second half was magnificent. They pushed forward and ultimately deserved the win.
The first half was terrible, but after the break, we saw the passion and fight that we expected.
The fans were fully engaged in the game, and there was a feeling that the team could really push on and win.
Manchester United's next match will be in the Premier League against Aston Villa.
