Former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney has criticised his former club's summer transfer activity after a 1-0 home defeat against 10-man Manchester City left the Red Devils 13th in the Premier League. Speaking on BBC Match of the Day, Rooney expressed concern over the lack of depth in the squad following the close of the transfer window.
According to FootballTransfers, Manchester United spent €173.2 million rebuilding their central midfield with the signings of Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos, and Youri Tielemans. However, no specialist left-back or additional attacking options arrived before the deadline, leaving head coach Michael Carrick with limited options during the derby.
"When the transfer window closed, I felt United still needed better players, not only to provide competition for places and cover across all competitions, but to come on in games and provide that extra quality and change games," Rooney said. "You were just waiting for someone to be brought on and make an impact today, but you looked at the bench, and there weren’t many attacking threats to call on. It was all a bit toothless."
United's lack of depth was on display during Sunday's derby, where they failed to equalise despite Manchester City playing with 10 men after Phil Foden was sent off in the 23rd minute. Erling Haaland scored the decisive goal of the match. While United's midfield was overhauled following the contract expiry of Casemiro and a long-term injury to Manuel Ugarte, the squad remained thin in other departments.
Journalist Fabrizio Romano reported on his YouTube channel that United were aware of their need for a left-back, especially following the departure of Tyrell Malacia on a free transfer, but opted not to proceed with a signing unless they were entirely convinced by the available options. Despite a disappointing start to the campaign with just four points from four matches, Romano confirmed that the club hierarchy maintains total faith and confidence in Michael Carrick's long-term project.
