Wayne Rooney identifies two positions Manchester United must strengthen | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney identifies two positions Manchester United must strengthen | OneFootball

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·8 September 2026

Wayne Rooney identifies two positions Manchester United must strengthen

Article image:Wayne Rooney identifies two positions Manchester United must strengthen

Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney believes the club still lacks two quality players to compete with elite clubs.

Rooney feels Manchester United need another reliable goalscorer besides Benjamin Sesko, and they also need to invest in a quality full-back. Luke Shaw is unlikely to play every game, and they could have used an alternative.


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Wayne Rooney identifies Manchester United’s weaknesses

Article image:Wayne Rooney identifies two positions Manchester United must strengthen

Benjamin Sesko of Manchester United goes down (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Manchester United need a reliable finisher in their ranks if they want to compete for major trophies. Sesko is still young and still adapting to English football. He will need time before he can become a prolific option for Manchester United upfront. Adding another striker would have been ideal for them this summer. However, Manchester United focused mainly on improving the midfield this summer.

Meanwhile, they were linked with players like Lewis Hall from Newcastle United. It was always clear they needed another left-back, but they failed to bring in the necessary additions.

Rooney’s Manchester United verdict

Article image:Wayne Rooney identifies two positions Manchester United must strengthen

Luke Shaw of Manchester United in action (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)

The number nine position and the fullback position are two mistakes. Manchester United made in terms of their transfer window, according to their former striker.

On the Stick to United podcast, Rooney said: “I just felt, and the Everton game showed me what I felt as well, they [United] were the better team, had a lot of control in the game, but a lack of a No 9, so for whatever reason Sesko is not fully fit, he missed pre-season. “[They’re] lacking a No 9, full-back position in terms of competition for places.”

It remains to be seen whether Manchester United can address that problem in January. Shaw is a quality player, but they cannot expect him to play every game given his injury history, and they will need to rotate the squad as well.

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