Manchester United and England all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney has accused the players on his former club of exaggerating or faking injuries in order to avoid playing in the Premier League run-in. The motive, Rooney says, is to save themselves for the FA Cup final and/or Euro 2024.
Whether Rooney is right or not, the Red Devils certainly look like a side that has already long shut it down for the remainder of the Premier League campaign.
Man United vs Newcastle United FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. May 15, 8pm, Old Trafford, Manchester, UK
Team News: Man United Newcastle
Starting XI Predictions: Man United Newcastle
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Google Result Probability: Man United 38% Draw 23% Newcastle 39%
PL Form: Man United LDWDD Newcastle DWWLW
PL Standing: Man United 8th, 57 pts Newcastle 6th 57 pts
United seem to have long given up on trying to retain European football for next season, at least via their finish in the table.
“There are some very good players in that squad and the performances are way below par,” Rooney said.
“You look at the injuries and some of those players could play; 100 percent. You have a European Championships coming up and an FA Cup final coming up. It is easy for players to stay out for a little bit and then come back towards the European Championships. I have seen it myself over the years. I just think the players who have been injured are not filling themselves with any credit at the minute.”
Rooney is likely right.
Man United Team News
Mason Mount is out for god knows how long with lord only knows what. United would have been better off taking 60m GBP and setting it on fire than signing him. Bruno Fernandes (wrist) sat out again earlier today, and his status is certainly doubtful for midweek.
Marcus Rashford skipped the very pedestrian 1-0 loss to Arsenal and is probably 50/50 for Wednesday. Meanwhile Anthony Martial (groin surgery), Victor Lindelof (thigh), Lisandro Martinez (foot) and Raphael Varane (muscle) are all pushing to feature on Championship Sunday.
Finally, Harry Maguire (muscle injury) and Luke Shaw (thigh) are hoping to be fit enough to make the FA Cup Final squad.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMG’s NFL Wire Network and the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.