Manchester United's former stars have repeatedly criticised the club's decline since Sir Alex Ferguson's departure, with Roy Keane's secret training ground visit and Wayne Rooney's X-rated threat among the most notable comments.
During Ferguson's 26-year tenure, United won 38 trophies, but since his exit in 2013 the club have added just five more, or seven including the FA Community Shield. Seven managers and five caretaker bosses have come and gone in that period, and members of the 'golden generation' have not held back in voicing their concerns.
Keane's secret Carrington visit
Keane made a secret return to Carrington in 2020, during Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's time in charge. It was the former captain's first visit since leaving in 2005 after falling out with Ferguson. He spoke to players about high standards, mindset and dedication, but one player's attitude left him furious.
An insider told the Mirror: "As you'd imagine Roy has strong views on what it takes to be a proper United player and he gave it them straight. He wasn't impressed with one player who didn't seem to be all that interested and looked as if he'd rather be somewhere else. But for the majority it was a fascinating snapshot into the hunger and desire that drove Roy during his time at the club."
Keane predicted Solskjaer would lose his job due to the squad, saying: "We were building up this season as make-or-break for Ole, but at this moment in time it's not looking good. I scratch my head at players who don't have enthusiasm for a game of football. Sometimes you say, 'There's no reason to panic.' But the results and performances suggest you should be panicking. Ole will lose his job working with these players – that's what is going to happen." Solskjaer was sacked in November 2021, with Michael Carrick taking over temporarily.
Rooney's X-rated rant
After United's 3-0 loss to Bournemouth, Rooney said he would love to storm into the dressing room and "put a f****** firework up their a****." Speaking on the Stick to United podcast, he compared his own desire to the current squad's commitment.
Rooney said: "The players haven't got a leg to stand on. What's not fair is the performances they're giving. I looked at the fans, you could see the pain and anger in their faces when them players are walking around the football pitch. You see Martinez when Rayan ran round him, they're not getting to the ball, it's so frustrating. I could score a goal, had ability or whatever, at least I f****** ran and put myself about as a team. These players are not doing that. I'd love to go in that dressing room, walk in that dressing room and say, 'what the f*** are use all doing?' What type of performances do you think this is? Do you think you deserve to wear the shirt? Put a f****** firework up their a**** because they're not doing anything."
He added that Carrick's team are a "million miles" from past winning squads and now a mid-table side at best: "We're not that Manchester United, look a million miles from the previous winning teams, the fundamentals of the game still have to be there. It's at best a mid-table team but if you look at all the mid-table teams, what do they get? They get players working hard, running, tackling and I keep saying it, going back to the basics. These players think they're better than what they are. Unfortunately, what happened when Michael Carrick came in at the start is that it's gave them players and the board false hope that they are get enough."
Neville and Scholes weigh in
Gary Neville, speaking on his podcast after the Bournemouth loss, said some players don't "live and breathe" United: "They've teased him, haven't they? They've conned him for a few months. They have, they've conned him. Honestly, he would never say this publicly because he's got class. I can say it for him though. He'll look at those players with disgust. Some of them, he'll be disgusted with some of those players. A few of them aren't that professional. I live in Manchester. Some of them aren't that professional. So I've got no time for them. There's a few of them that don't go to bed at the right time, don't eat the right things, don't think about Manchester United every single minute of every day, and aren't living and breathing this football club as they should be - and as professionals should. Why? Because it's gone to their heads. They are nothing, some of those players."
Paul Scholes criticised the club's transfer ambitions on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, saying: "It feels quite sad to say this but Man United are a club now that are not trying to win the league with recruitment. Santos, Baleba, they've brought players in that physically they may be better. Santos played 11 games for Chelsea, they paid £50million for him. But he's not getting into the team... I think they're a million miles away."
Phil Neville's 'circus' claim
Phil Neville said the club "became a real circus" after Ferguson left. Speaking on CBS Sports Golazo, he explained: "Sir Alex Ferguson left and I was part of the coaching staff with David Moyes and what I witnessed going back from obviously being part of the club for the glory years, the years where we were successful, then going back with David Moyes, I witnessed a different type of club. A club that [changed quickly]. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, I was seeing the focus wasn't on the football pitch. I was seeing where the manager didn't have the final say. I was seeing where the manager couldn't pick signings. The signings were based more purely on how famous they were, how many followers they had, how much sponsorship they could make. It was, I was shocked."
He added: "They had a manager in Sir Alex Ferguson, they had a CEO in David Gill, who was disciplined. The manager was disciplined, they run the club. I know they had the Glazers in at the time, the supporters have never been happy with the Glazers but they run the club from top to bottom. Whatever they said, it happened. The year after, new CEO, new manager and all of a sudden, I just felt it just became a circus. It just became a real circus where the manager lost control of actually what it was about. You look at the best clubs in Europe, best clubs in world football, who would you say are the best run clubs? PSG, Brighton, Aston Villa, Arsenal, they're just a few where you say right, from top to bottom, there's alignment. I don't think that happens at Man United."
