Manchester United

Bryan Robson: 'Wayne Rooney should start for Manchester United'

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 23 September 2016

Former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson believes that Wayne Rooney still warrants a place in Jose Mourinho's starting XI, despite recent criticism of his form.

Former Manchester United captain Bryan Robson has claimed that Wayne Rooney deserves to keep his place in the starting XI.

After a difficult 2015-16 campaign, questions have once again been asked of Rooney during the opening weeks of the current season, with some suggestions that he no longer warrants a place in Jose Mourinho's side.

However, Robson still believes that there is a place for the captain, insisting that he was not the worst offender during United's recent run of three consecutive defeats.

"Wayne would definitely be in my team. He's got great quality. He hasn't been at his best at the start of this season, but what I can say is that he hasn't been one of the worst Manchester United players," he told talkSPORT.

"We've had a few players who haven't hit form at the moment, and have got a 50-50 chance of whether they're in the team or not.

"But as far as I'm concerned, Wayne's got a good understanding with Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] and [Marcus] Rashford. So, at this moment in time, there is still a place in Manchester United's team for Wayne Rooney."

United will look to return to winning ways in the league when they welcome champions Leicester City to Old Trafford on Saturday.