Wayne Rooney admits Man United's stars have let David Moyes down this season
Wayne Rooney admits Man United's stars have let David Moyes down this season
Rooney is full of praise for his boss, and for his decision to hand a start to 18-year-old Adnan Januzaj, who repaid Moyes' faith with a brace
Rooney says the players have let their boss down
Laurence Griffiths
Wayne Rooney admitted Manchester United stars have “let David Moyes down” this season.
“Obviously
the manager is under a bit of pressure,” said Rooney as he left the
Stadium of Light on Saturday night to join up with another pressured
situation, England’s World Cup qualification bid.
“We
know as a team it’s us who have let him down. We have to pull together
for the manager and show the sort of fight we have done here and we’ll
be fine.”
The pressure was certainly on when they went a goal down
to Craig Gardner, with Sunderland swarming all over United’s defence.
It took a stunning save by David De Gea to keep the deficit down in the
first half.
And it took the fearless intervention of 18-year-old Adnan Januzaj,
and his brilliant double – the first for a debutant since Ruud van
Nistelrooy – to restore order and see United exert control in the second
half.
The symptoms of a rickety season were on display in what Rooney admits is a “transition” time at United.
“It will be because it’s a new manager with different styles and we have to adapt to them.
“We
need to do better for him than we have been,” conceded Rooney. But if
the uncertain defending, lack of creative ingenuity and general
sloppiness of the first 45 minutes were unfamiliar, there was one trait
of Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson that Moyes admirably imposed. Adnan Januzaj rescues United from embarrassment
John Peters
Handing Belgium-born Albanian Januzaj a first league start despite being under the cosh after two league defeats, was a bold move.
It rekindled memories of Ferguson calling up teenagers Ryan Giggs, David Beckham and Co when searching for inspiration.
Moyes himself has a good track record, blooding Rooney as a 16-year-old and emerging England star Ross Barkley at Everton.
Januzaj,
who has yet to decide his international future and is also out of
contract at Old Trafford in the summer, was the difference – a power
drive and a breathtaking volleyed second clinching the points.
Rooney
(right) said: “He’s a great prospect. He takes the ball, he runs at
players and he’s got great ability. It’s great the manager has thrown
him into the side, especially with what has happened in the last few
games.
“There was big pressure on us, but the manager has trusted him and he has repaid that.
“He’s
very confident, that’s great to see. A lot of the young players who
come through are a little bit timid and shy, but he looks comfortable
and he’s confident in his own ability, which you need to be.
“It was a brave move to play him in the circumstances and we’re delighted it’s paid off.
“There
is a lot of pressure, but he seems to thrive on it. We know the ability
he has got, but you never know how they are going to react when they
are thrown into games.
“We need to help the younger players and if
we do that, they’ll be moments where they come in and win us the game,
as has happened here. The experienced lads need to help them emerge into
a team.”
Roy Hodgson believed he could play for England by 2015
under residency rules and Rooney said: “I’m sure the FA will be doing
everything they need to do to get him to play.”
He praised the
character of United for their comeback and added: “A win like this can
turn things around. It’s down to us experienced players to make sure we
stay calm as a squad.”
As for Sunderland they need a new permanent head coach quickly.
The
time for taking positives out of defeats is over and points are needed
before the six-point gap to safety becomes an unbridgeable chasm.
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