Wayne Rooney highlighted two key details that he noticed from Manchester United fans during the Manchester derby defeat to Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.
Ruben Amorim was unable to make it back-to-back wins for Manchester United in the 2025-26 Premier League season, following last month’s 3-2 win over Burnley.
The 40-year-old United manager oversaw an unconvincing performance at the Etihad on the weekend, with Manchester City comfortably picking up a 3-0 win.
Phil Foden headed the opener past Altay Bayindir in the first half before Erling Haaland extended City’s advantage over United early into the second half.
Erling Haaland made his presence felt for the second time after the break, with the in-form Norwegian striker beating Altay Bayindir to complete his brace on Sunday.
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Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney during the Champions League match between Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain at Anfield in 2025 in Liverpool, England.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Wayne Rooney tells Man Utd fans his true feelings about the Red Devils after the Manchester derby at the Etihad
Manchester United’s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City has seen the Red Devils tumbling down the Premier League table, with Ruben Amorim’s men languishing in 14th.
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The Red Devils lost three of their first five matches across all competitions in the 2025-26 season, including Grimsby Town knocking United out of the Carabao Cup.
Wayne Rooney has insisted that it is “very difficult” for him to try and hide his true feelings from United fans, despite wanting to show his support for his former side.
“I want to be as supportive and positive as I can be [to] the manager and the players,” he said on The Wayne Rooney Show, as per BBC Sport.
“But it is very difficult to sit here and say we are seeing progression, and at least we’re seeing things that will get results in the near future.”
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Wayne Rooney’s reaction to what Man Utd fans did at the Etihad amid the Premier League defeat to Man City
Rooney has said that he could “hear” the United fans showing their support for Red Devils head coach Amorim at the Etihad during the Manchester derby on Sunday.
However, the 39-year-old United legend explained that the most “powerful” message that he saw at the Etihad was the “Manchester United fans leaving” the match early.
“We’re seeing none of that, and it is very difficult,” Rooney continued.
“There was an image towards the end of the game where I saw the Manchester United fans leaving.”
The Red Devils icon added: “You could hear the fans singing Amorim’s name, but I think that is so powerful that the United fans were leaving the game.
“You know the game is over and I think they were very disappointed in what they were seeing. It is hard to see how it continues.
“What are the patterns? What are we seeing [that] might improve the team moving forward?”
United will return to Premier League action on Saturday evening and the Red Devils will face rivals Chelsea at Old Trafford, with kick-off scheduled for 5:30pm UK time.