Rooney singled out Manchester United s three major "parallel import" signings, saying they cost the club a heavy price

Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney recently lashed out at the club's past disastrous recruitment strategies on a show, believing that it was these wrong decisions that led to the Red Devils' continued slump over the past decade and difficulty in returning to their peak.

In the "The Overlap" program, Rooney bluntly pointed out: "The signing work in the past was simply terrible. The club only focused on those well-known players, rather than candidates who truly fit the team system." He specifically named three representative "failed signings": Lukaku, Ibrahimovic and Pogba.

"They have introduced excellent players like Lukaku, Ibrahimovic and Pogba, but the problem is - Manchester United values ​​their reputation, not whether they fit the team. As a result, the club threw a lot of money out the window in vain." Rooney said indignantly.

According to public data, the total cost of these three transactions was as high as 164 million pounds: Pogba returned to Old Trafford for a then world record of 89 million pounds, Lukaku's transfer fee was 75 million pounds, and although Ibrahimovic joined freely, he was regarded as a typical representative of the "superstar strategy" due to his high salary and symbolic significance. In addition, the three also received huge salaries, further increasing the club's financial burden.

Rooney believes that it was this series of recruiting mistakes that caused Manchester United to completely lose its way after Sir Alex Ferguson retired: "It took a long time for the team to slowly start to come out of the shadow of these mistakes. In the past ten years, many players have been criticized. But now, I finally see a glimmer of hope is returning."

Currently, under the leadership of Amorim, Manchester United is only 1 point behind the top four in the Premier League after the first 11 rounds, showing signs of recovery. In this regard, Rooney expressed his approval: "The team has achieved some good results recently, and the players have regained their confidence. Even the coach has begun to find a rhythm. I can feel that the team is improving and the tacit understanding among the players is also increasing."

However, the former Manchester United forward remains sober: "It is too early to talk about competing for the championship, but competing for a Champions League spot is definitely a realistic and feasible goal."