Rooney’s frustration sparks fresh attack on Carrick’s bench choices

Manchester United’s limp defeat to Manchester City has left the Red Devils reeling, with United having paid £74m for Slovenian striker Benjamin Sesko, who has scored 14 goals in 37 games. The only goal of the match, a strike by Erling Haaland, was wrongly allowed after a protracted VAR review. Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and the club’s forward line – including João Cunha and Amad Mbeumo – have all been mentioned in the ensuing criticism.

VAR fallout and the two hard truths

The post‑match debate has centred on VAR’s value and the quality of Premier League officials. Two crushing realities emerged for United fans: the players are nowhere near as good as Manchester City’s, and the manager is nowhere near as good as City’s. Michael Carrick and Enzo Maresca’s reactions to Phil Foden’s red card highlighted these gaps.

Rooney’s blunt assessment of United’s attack

Rooney told the Stick to United podcast that he was “frustrated” when the transfer window closed without more signings. He added, “I heard someone yesterday say we fixed the attacking line and now we’ve done the midfield. I don’t think we fixed the attacking line last season. Mbeumo did okay, Cunha did okay, didn’t set the world alight.” Rooney also argued that United need a genuine No 9, noting that Cunha “needs someone to play off” and that Mbeumo’s best displays have come when he operated as a central striker.

Rooney’s comments suggest he doubts the impact of Sesko, despite the striker’s 14 goals, eight of which came when he started. The goal‑every‑139‑minutes rate implies that, had Sesko played every minute of his 37 appearances, he could be on 24 goals by now.

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Carrick’s plan ahead of Brighton

Carrick has been criticised for waiting too long to introduce Sesko and Joshua Zirkzee, with some observers saying the delay may not have altered the result. United excel in transition but consistently fail when required to break down a deep defence with incisive passing.

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer expressed bafflement at Carrick’s reluctance to start Sesko, arguing that the bench argument does not hold up to scrutiny. The club’s £74m outlay on Sesko now appears excessive if his minutes remain limited.

Looking forward, Carrick wants to move past the VAR controversy that saw Haaland’s goal wrongly approved after minutes of deliberation. He prefers not to dwell on the lost derby and instead focuses on the upcoming Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.