Featured Image Credit: @PeakRooney
Topics: Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Champions League
Alex Brotherton
Topics: Manchester United, Wayne Rooney, Erik Ten Hag, Premier League, Champions League
Old footage of Wayne Rooney has resurfaced following his controversial comments about injured Manchester United players.
An injury-hit United suffered a record-extending 14th Premier League defeat of the season on Sunday, as Arsenal won 1-0 at Old Trafford.
The pressure is mounting on manager Erik ten Hag, who is set to oversee United's lowest top flight finish in over 30 years.
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In the Dutchman's defence, his squad has been decimated by injuries this season. On Sunday he was unable to call upon first-team regulars Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw and Mason Mount, while Tyrell Malacia and Anthony Martial are long-term absentees.
However, United legend Wayne Rooney believes that some of those players could and should be playing through the pain.
"As we look at the injuries they've picked up, some of those players can play, 100 per cent," Rooney said on Sky Sports following the match.
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"When you have the European Championship coming up and an FA Cup final, it's easy for players to stay out of it a little bit, get back for the final and make sure they're ready for the European Championship. I've seen it myself over the years.
"The players who are injured are not filling themselves in any credit at the minute. The manager is going to take all the stick for that.
"You need to want to play. I played through injuries. The manager needs to be ruthless and take that opportunity away from you. As long as you haven't got a bad injury you should want to play on that football pitch. For me that doesn't seem that's the case."
Rooney received praise and criticism for his comments, but to be fair to him, he knows a thing or two about playing through injury.
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Following his comments footage resurfaced of him playing in a crucial Champions League quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich despite carrying an ankle injury.
Faced with a 2-1 deficit from the first leg of the clash, Sir Alex Ferguson desperately needed his star attacker to play. Rooney answered the call and lasted 55 minutes before limping off, but he managed to assist Darron Gibson's opening goal.
United won 3-2 on the night but Bayern progressed via the away goals rule.
United fans couldn't get enough of the video, with some leaving comments like "they don't make players like him anymore" and "Rooney is an absolute legend and he should be respected."