Wayne Rooney has expressed his belief that Manchester United are now adopting a more intelligent approach to transfers, following years of what he described as “horrendous mistakes.” The club has invested nearly £2 billion in new signings since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down in 2013, but they have not managed to secure a Premier League title during that time. In fact, last season, the Red Devils finished 15th in the league, dangerously close to the relegation zone.
However, there are signs of improvement this season. Manchester United have remained unbeaten for five consecutive games since the last international break, climbing to seventh place in the table—just one point outside the top four. Rooney, who once captained the team, sees these developments as positive and believes manager Ruben Amorim could eventually lead the club back to the Champions League.
Rooney acknowledged that it will take some time for the club to recover from the financial missteps of the past decade. He specifically mentioned high-profile signings such as Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Paul Pogba as examples of costly errors that set the team back.
“The recruitment at Manchester United before last summer was horrendous,” Rooney said on The Overlap. “They were just bringing big names in—you look at Lukaku, Zlatan, Pogba—they’re good players, but they were just bringing names in and spending enormous amounts of money. It’s going to take a bit of time to get over those mistakes.”
This summer, Manchester United took a different approach by focusing on proven Premier League talent rather than chasing superstars. Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, signed from Brentford and Wolves respectively, have made strong starts to their careers at Old Trafford. Meanwhile, young Belgian forward Senne Lammens has already become a key player after joining from Royal Antwerp for £18 million.
Rooney noted that the past decade has been tough on the squad. “If you look at Manchester United over the last ten years, the players have been absolutely battered,” he said. “Now they’ve got a couple of results and you can see a bit of confidence coming back. You can even say that in the manager. They’re gradually getting better, there’s definitely been some improvement.”
He also admitted that he has been critical of Amorim, but he is beginning to see progress. “There’s some promising signs and although they’re not going to win the league, they could possibly sneak into the top-four.”
Manchester United recently won three games in a row for the first time since February 2024, though they have drawn their last two matches 2-2. Amorim’s team will return to Premier League action after the international break when they face Everton, managed by former United boss David Moyes.
Rooney remains cautiously optimistic about the future of the club. While he acknowledges that the road to recovery is long, he believes the current direction is heading in the right way. “It’s been really tough for Ruben Amorim and I’ve been critical of him. We are seeing them improve though and players are getting to know each other a bit better.”
As the season progresses, fans will be watching closely to see if the improvements continue. For now, the signs are encouraging, and the support from the stands may soon reflect that.