After United's poor start to the season, there has been a growing debate on whether or not manager Jens Ten Hagar should step down. However, United legend Wayne Rooney takes a different view, believing that Ten Hag still has a chance to lead United out of the woods and calling for the players to take responsibility for the current situation as well.
Rooney said in an interview, "Regarding Ten Hagar's future, that's obviously up to the owners of the club to decide. I'm sure Erik (Ten Hagar) is a fantastic manager, he's won trophies wherever he's been and he's won trophies at Manchester United. So, yes, he's going through a difficult time and I think he would probably say the same himself."
He further noted, "But you would also expect him to turn things around because managers often lose their jobs due to poor results and then you have to rebuild with another manager. It's a time-consuming and uncertain process for the club."
Despite rumors that United could make a decision on Ten Hagar's future soon, Rooney wants United's stars to take some responsibility for the current situation as well. He added: "I think it's difficult, anyone will admit United want to compete for the title, so to see them in 14th place I'm sure everyone at the club knows they need to improve."
Rooney recognized Ten Hagar's efforts, "I know Eric is doing everything he can to try to improve the situation and so are the players. I said last season that United needed to do better than they are doing now. There's been a lot of movement in the players over the last few years and you just want to see them challenging again and fighting for glory."
Asked if he had any advice for Ten Hagar or his players, Rooney cautiously said, "I shouldn't be giving Eric advice, he's the manager of Manchester United and a very experienced manager. I'm sure he can find a way to solve the problem."
Still, he shared some general observations, "When you're going through difficult times, it's important that you put your head down, work hard and try to get the basics right. I thought United showed good spirit and got a point against Villa, but the fans probably want to see more and hopefully they can start doing that consistently."
