‘Get out of the club’ - Wayne Rooney names two Man Utd players who should move on

Wayne Rooney has said Harry Maguire and Mason Greenwood should look to move on from Manchester United.

Maguire revealed on Sunday that he has been stripped of the captaincy at Old Trafford and, with the defender now fifth choice at centre-back, he is expected to depart this summer. West Ham United are interested in the 30-year-old, while Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United have been credited with interest in a player Erik ten Hag is willing to sell.

For Rooney, a former United skipper, he feels the decision to replace Maguire as captain leaves the ex-Leicester City man with little choice if he wants to preserve his international career. “To have the armband taken off you, how does he move forward with the club?” the current DC United manager told The Athletic.

“That shows the manager really doesn’t believe in him. It leaves Harry in a position where he has to think on what he does moving forward. The manager has shown he is not part of the plans.

“I’m sure Harry will want to go and play — for himself, for his England career — to put himself in the best position to be as successful as he can. The best thing now is probably for him to move.”

As for Greenwood, Rooney also said he needs to get back to playing regular football. The 21-year-old hasn’t played for United since January 2022, when he was arrested on suspicion of rape and assault of a woman. In October 2022, Greenwood was charged with attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and engaging in controlling and coercive behaviour. All charges were dropped against Greenwood earlier this year, but United have not concluded an internal investigation into the matter and are yet to make a decision on his future.

“It leaves Mason Greenwood in a position where he is stuck,” Rooney said. “So for Mason, it’s a bad position to be in because I’m sure he just wants to play football. But for the club, its image and ensuring they make the right decisions; it’s almost a catch 22. I think the best thing for Mason now is to get out of the club and go and develop somewhere else.

“He needs to get back playing because it has been a long time. With everything that has happened and how long the internal investigation has taken, it’s probably got to a place now where Mason just needs to go and play and to try and get his career back on track. It’s a difficult position for Mason but for the club as well. You have to make sure you get to the right decision before moving forward and it looks like they’re really struggling to get to that place.”

Rooney also described Harry Kane as the ‘ideal’ striker for United, with the Red Devils keen to sign the England captain this summer. “Now probably is right for him to move on and it looks like he’s ready for that as well, but we know Tottenham can be quite difficult at times,” Rooney opined, on the man who broke his England scoring record earlier this year.