In a bombshell assessment that will send shockwaves through the football world, Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has pointed a direct finger at former manager Jose Mourinho for the club's prolonged fall from grace.
The Old Trafford legend claims he witnessed a critical and irreversible shift in the club's culture during the Portuguese manager's tumultuous tenure, a decline he believes the club has never recovered from.
The Moment It All Changed
Rooney, the club's all-time record goalscorer, didn't mince his words. He identified a specific, pivotal moment where the relentless pursuit of excellence—a hallmark of the Sir Alex Ferguson era—was fundamentally compromised.
According to Rooney, it was under Mourinho's leadership that a culture of excuses and lowered expectations began to seep into the fabric of the club, replacing the unwavering winning mentality that had defined United for a generation.
A Legacy of Slipping Standards
The England great's comments suggest that the issues plaguing United today—inconsistent performances, a lack of identity, and an inability to challenge for the top honours—are not recent developments. Instead, they are the lingering symptoms of a rot that set in during Mourinho's reign.
This candid revelation provides a fascinating and damning insider's perspective on why one of the world's biggest clubs has struggled to recapture its former glory, despite massive financial investment in new players and managers.
Rooney's analysis suggests that the problem was never just about tactics or personnel, but something far deeper: a broken culture where the standards demanded of a Manchester United player were no longer being enforced at the highest level.
