MX23RW : Friday, November 22 22:03:20| >> :120:7754:7754:

Ray Wilkins: 'Wayne Rooney deserves more respect'

Wilkins: 'Rooney deserves more respect'
© SilverHub
Former Manchester United midfielder Ray Wilkins criticises the treatment of Wayne Rooney this season and demands that he be shown more respect.

Former Manchester United midfielder Ray Wilkins has slammed the treatment of club captain Wayne Rooney this season, claiming that he is being used as a "sacrificial lamb".

The 31-year-old's performances have been questioned for a number of years now, but this season he has been little more than a bit-part player under Jose Mourinho, making just nine Premier League starts throughout the entire campaign.

Rooney was once again overlooked when Mourinho opted to bring Anthony Martial on in place of the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic for extra time of United's Europa League win over Anderlecht on Thursday, and Wilkins believes that the England skipper is not being given enough respect.

"He has been so good for Manchester United and so good for English football that I think he needs that little bit of respect and be thrown back in again. What he has done over his career, he's sacrificed himself too much for me. He runs all over the field – he defends, he attacks, he sets up goals, he scores goals," he told talkSPORT.

"Let's not forget he's England's top goalscorer and he's Manchester United's top goalscorer. This guy has been a phenomenal footballer, give him some respect. He's 31 years of age. When Zlatan plays, at 35, he plays in and around his space. He doesn't go charging all over the field and helping his teammates out. Rooney does.

"Rooney is a sacrificial lamb, as far as I am concerned, and I hate it. I would love to see Wayne come back and really be a force once again. The sides that are left in [the Europa League] should be nothing to compare to what Manchester United are. This is what Jose is going for now big time. I think he will win it and I think Manchester United are too good for the rest."

Rooney has scored a club-record 250 goals in 551 appearances for United.

ID:296525: cacheID:296525:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3126:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
A frustrated Zlatan Ibrahimovic during the Europa League game between Manchester United and Anderlecht on April 20, 2017
Read Next:
Report: Ibrahimovic to miss remainder of season
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Steelers
19-24
Browns
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool119112161528
2Manchester CityMan City117222213923
3Chelsea115422113819
4Arsenal115421812619
5Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest115421510519
6Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton115421915419
7Fulham115331613318
8Newcastle UnitedNewcastle115331311218
9Aston Villa115331717018
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1151523131016
11Brentford115152222016
12Bournemouth114341515015
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd114341212015
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham113351319-612
15Leicester CityLeicester112451421-710
16Everton112451017-710
17Ipswich TownIpswich111551222-108
18Crystal Palace11146815-77
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves111371627-116
20Southampton11119721-144


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!