Wayne Rooney said that he would have liked to have seen one former Manchester United star at Old Trafford under Ruben Amorim after the Red Devils’ FA Cup exit.
Manchester United hosted Fulham at Old Trafford on Sunday and the Red Devils’ FA Cup title defence under Ruben Amorim came to an end on the weekend.
Calvin Bassey put Fulham 1-0 up going into half-time and United fought back in the second half and found the crucial equaliser through captain Bruno Fernandes.
United and Fulham were unable to break the 1-1 scoreline during the 30 minutes of extra time and the fifth-round FA Cup tie went to penalties at Old Trafford.
Marco Silva’s men converted all four of their spot-kicks past Andre Onana during the penalty shootout, while three United players successfully scored their penalties.
Bernd Leno’s heroics saw the Fulham shot-stopper deny Joshua Zirkzee and Victor Lindelof from the spot-kick and United subsequently crashed out of the FA Cup.
Rooney talks ex-Man Utd star
Ruben Amorim has been left frustrated with his striking options at Old Trafford since his arrival as Manchester United manager last November.
The 40-year-old former Sporting CP boss has now seen struggling striker Rasmus Hojlund extend his goalscoring drought to 18 matches in the 2024-25 campaign.
Joshua Zirkzee has also failed to impress in his debut season at Old Trafford, with the United striker netting five times in 40 matches across all competitions.
Wayne Rooney was part of the BBC punditry line-up for the fifth-round FA Cup tie and the United legend touched on the Red Devils’ shortcomings in the final third.
The 39-year-old former Plymouth Argyle boss insisted that he would love to have seen ex-United and England striker Danny Welbeck still at Old Trafford right now.
“Danny, he’s great to play alongside and if I’m being completely honest, I’d would probably still like to see him here playing for Manchester United,” he said on BBC’s Match of the Day, as per Goal.
“He scored goals throughout his career, had injuries in early part of his career, but seems to have got over them and he’s having a fantastic season.”
Where is ex-Man Utd star Welbeck now?
Danny Welbeck came through the United youth academy when Sir Alex Ferguson was still in charge and he had been tipped for a bright future at Old Trafford.
The 34-year-old former United striker was part of the last Red Devils team to lift the Premier League title in the 2012-13 campaign under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Welbeck would leave Old Trafford and sign for Premier League rivals Arsenal in 2014 after his Red Devils career failed to lift off after Ferguson’s retirement.
The former England international’s career has also been curtailed by injuries, but Welbeck has bounced back in form for current side Brighton.
Welbeck, who left Watford in 2020 and signed for Brighton, has scored eight times and registered four assists in 25 matches for the Seagulls this season.
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