“I don’t understand…”: Wayne Rooney points out where United went wrong this summer | OneFootball

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Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has questioned the club’s decision to sign three midfielders this summer. The Red Devils entered the transfer window with a plan to revamp the middle of the park before the start of the new season.

Casemiro, who had forged an impressive partnership with Kobbie Mainoo in the second half of the season, departed over the summer following the expiry of his contract. Meanwhile, Manuel Ugarte, who was already surplus to requirements, ruptured his ACL at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

United were linked with several high-profile additions over the summer such as Elliot Anderson, Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali. However, the English giants failed to sign their priority targets, who opted to move elsewhere.

The Red Devils, instead, started their midfield rebuild by signing Andrey Santos from Chelsea, before moving quickly to secure the services of Youri Tielemans from Aston Villa. United ended the summer by securing the services of long-term target Carlos Baleba from Brighton & Hove Albion.

However, Rooney reckons his former club displayed a lack of long-term planning with their transfer activity.

Rooney unimpressed by United’s midfield rebuild

Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Rooney suggested that United could have invested in a new full-back or a striker this summer instead of spending all their funds on three new midfielders. He said: “We need to be a bit more clever with the players we’re bringing in.”

“What I don’t understand is that we’ve signed Tielemans and Santos and then we signed Baleba, who I think is a good signing. But then you’ve got Santos on the bench. So then, when Baleba is fit, is Tielemans gonna go to the bench? Is [Kobbie] Mainoo gonna go to the bench?”

“Then you’d have two players you’ve brought in [benched] or one of your younger players who has probably been United’s best player over the last couple of games in Mainoo, on the bench.”

“If that’s the case, if Carrick doesn’t fancy Santos for whatever reason, that signing has still been made, so why has that money not been used on full-backs or another striker?”

How have United’s summer arrivals fared so far?

United started the new season with a midfield axis of Santos and Tielemans in the dismal 2-0 draw against Hull City. Carrick brought in Mainoo in place of the Brazilian in the following game against Ipswich Town, which the Red Devils won 5-2.

Since then, the Mainoo-Tielemans partnership has blossomed, starting every game, while Santos has been relegated to a bench role. The Belgian midfielder has been very impressive so far and looks like a fantastic addition to Carrick’s squad.

Tielemans has started all five games for the Red Devils, registering one assist.

Youri Tielemans Stats: 2026/27 Season

Santos, meanwhile, has started just one game, and was an unused substitute against Manchester City. Baleba is currently sidelined with an ankle injury, although Carrick recently revealed that the player could return to action after the international break.

Final Thoughts

United’s failure to sign a left-back and a striker could come back to haunt them as the season progresses. However, INEOS will have the opportunity to rectify their mistake once the transfer window reopens in January.