Wayne Rooney makes Man United 'sack' claim surrounding current dressing room

Former Manchester United skipper Wayne Rooney has suggested that he would be 'sacked' if he were part of the current dressing room at Old Trafford. The ex-striker, who netted 253 goals in 559 appearances for United between 2004 and 2017, hung up his boots back in 2021.

Despite only being retired for a short period, Rooney believes he would struggle to adapt to the modern-day dressing room environment, particularly under the stewardship of Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford.

In a candid chat with former teammate Rio Ferdinand on his podcast, , Rooney was asked whether he or ex-midfielder Roy Keane could handle the current United dressing room.

READ MORE: Manchester United already have two Premier League transfer alternatives lined up to Carlos Baleba

READ MORE: Spanish media make telling Antony comments with surprise role touted after Man Utd exit

His response was straightforward: "No," he said. "We'd get sacked."

He elaborated: "Some of the stuff which got said in the dressing room. That's where now, and it is society as well, you can't say this because you might upset this person.

"You're a bully, and you get accused of bullying and stuff."

Rooney then shared his thoughts on the changing culture within football dressing rooms. "What happened to speaking the truth and saying, like, 'What are you doing?' Having a go, because when you used to have a go at me, [I'm thinking] 'I'm not letting him do that again'. Or I'd have a go at you," he said.

"It wakes you up. It brings you alive. And it's a responsibility. I have a responsibility to keep you, to keep him, to keep him on their toes. And you have a responsibility.

"I couldn't do what I want to do on the pitch if it didn't come from you, or then Carras [Michael Carrick] or Scholsey [Paul Scholes] behind. It's a collective."

Rooney attempted management with Derby County before disappointing stints at Birmingham City and Plymouth Argyle left him focusing on punditry work. He also spoke about his experience on the other side of it.

"I've walked out of dressing rooms as a manager because I'll explode," he revealed. "I've seen a player call another player out, not in a bad way, and it is what it is, it's nothing.

"And then I've seen another player saying, 'You can't do that. If you want to speak to him, do it one-on-one. This is bullying'.

"And I'm stood there, waiting. I always let the players talk and I encourage them to talk to each other at half-time, at full-time. And then I'll come in and say something.

"And I heard that and I just looked. I was like, what am I going to say? 'Just get a shower.' I Walked out, didn't say a word to them. And it's mad, isn't it? It's society.

"You don't know what you can and can't say as well. Got to be really careful in what you try and say, how you want to say it, how you project it, what tone of your voice you're saying it in.

"And so, it's so many different things, but ultimately, you want to try and get the best from that person."

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.