Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United's lack of aggression in games is a major issue that interim manager Michael Carrick must solve. The former United striker highlighted the team's passive approach in a mid-block as a key weakness.
Outrun in all but one match
A graphic on Match of the Day showed United have been outrun in all but one of their Premier League matches this season. The Red Devils sit 12th in the table after a dramatic 1-1 draw with Tottenham at Old Trafford.
Dominic Solanke salvaged a point late on for the visitors, who had been reduced to ten men after Rodrigo Bentancur's red card for headbutting Luke Shaw. Bryan Mbeumo had put the hosts ahead against the run of play, with Spurs dominating much of the encounter.
Rooney's verdict on United's style
Rooney said United's players are running but lack the aggression to close down the ball. "I think in a lot of games, they've been happy to go into a mid-block," he explained. "If you think back to Jose Mourinho and his first Chelsea team, they were a mid-block team, but when the ball got moved side to side, they were aggressive."
"That meant getting up in your face and they were horrible to play against. Right now, United are in a mid-block, but they're not getting up to the ball. That means they're not a difficult side to play against."
Upcoming fixtures
Carrick's men travel to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, before an away game against fierce rivals Leeds United on their return to Premier League action.
