Wayne Rooney has described Bruno Fernandes' verdict on Manchester United's 2-0 defeat at Hull City as "strange". The Reds lost to a newly promoted team in their opening fixture of a new season for the first time ever on Saturday.
United were listless in the loss at the MKM Stadium as first-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy handed Michael Carrick's side an embarrassing defeat. It continues to be a strange summer for the club, with some praise for their shrewd signings, while others have argued that too few names have come through the door at Old Trafford.
Carrick's concerns after Humberside loss
Carrick will be concerned that the weekend's loss on Humberside will derail a lot of the good work he has overseen since succeeding Ruben Amorim as head coach in January. The former United midfielder guided his old side back into the Champions League with a third-placed finish last term.
But Reds captain Fernandes did not hold back in his assessment of the defeat to Sergej Jakirović's team when speaking to TNT Sports post-match.
He said: "Same mistakes as we did last season, every away game we give too much of the ball to them. In the first 20 minutes, the goalkeeper was the one with the most touches.
"We needed to press more, be more aggressive, and then again we need to work on set-plays and not concede these type of goals. Against these types of teams, they are waiting for that moment.
"We knew before the game that set-pieces would be a big part of their game. They played all pre-season with a back four, but went to a back five against us for some height in these moments. The most frustrating thing is that we lost the game."
Rooney's criticism of United's approach
United great Rooney delivered his verdict on Fernandes' comments while appearing on Saturday night's BBC Match of the Day.
The 40-year-old said: "It's a strange quote from Bruno, I think. For Manchester United to build on what they did last season, since Michael went in they obviously finished third in the Premier League, got Champions League football: to build on that they have to become a team now who you're scared of playing against, who go and win the ball back.
"I thought they sat in a mid-block and didn't get any real pressure on the ball. I think they won two balls in the final third, so they need to be more than that.
"More energy in the press, how they go and win the ball back. Today it was all too passive, for me."
Rooney was critical of United's approach to the match as a whole, suggesting that his old side were not prepared for the fixture in East Yorkshire.
He added: "There was a lack of intensity and closing down. They couldn't really get close to Hull, and they really suffered from crosses into the box and couldn't deal with them well enough. They didn't really create much, which was the biggest worry.
"When you play a promoted team, it's always difficult. First game of the season away from home, and I think United just didn't seem ready for it.
"Hull were fantastic. The manager was spot on when he talked about preparation. I watched Manchester United against AC Milan and they struggled stopping crosses into the box. Hull looked like they played on that; they got the ball out wide, put good crosses in the box and caused United problems.
"They defended well in the second half. They looked powerful, they looked strong. United didn't look at the races, and Hull overpowered them in both boxes. That won them the game."
