The Red Devils crashed out of the English Football League Cup on Wednesday (08.27.25) after League Two’s Grimsby beat them on penalties, and Rooney - who helped push the club to victory several times during his stint there from 2004 to 2017 - has admitted manager Ruben Amorim must be at “breaking point”.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the 39-year-old former footballer said: “Just the way they lost, it was disheartening. There's something not right.
“I think that's clear. I think the manager said that after the game and I think that's clear for everyone to see that there's something not right there.”
Manchester United’s Grimsby loss is the club’s most recent defeat in a string of disappointing performances, having ended last season’s Premier League at a record-low of 15th place, and underwhelming in their opening two matches against Arsenal and Fulham.
Rooney continued: “It can happen. We lost to Crawley years back in the Cup. But the difference is, everyone looking at that game, they know it's a one-off.
“So the issue now is we're seeing very similar performances, similar results and even though it's only three games into the season, it's getting to a point now where you're like ... what is going on?
“The biggest concern is the manager saying that, his words after the game were damning on the players and obviously being in a position where I've been in that dressing room, if your manager comes out with those words, there's something broken.”
Following Manchester United’s Grimsby defeat, Amorim said his side looked “completely lost” during the game.
He said: “I think this is a little bit the limit. I think something has to change.
“I think the team and the players spoke really loud today, so that's it. I think the best team won, the only team that was on the pitch.
“I think it's really clear what they spoke, so let's move on from this day. I think it was clear for everybody what happened today.
“The way we start the game without any intensity, we were completely lost.
“In this moment, we need to focus on the weekend and then we have time to think.”
