Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney could not overlook the stunning display of one player for Ruben Amorim’s men on Sunday against Arsenal.
The Red Devils are currently 14th in the Premier League table after Manchester United lost to Arsenal in their opening match of the 2025-26 league campaign.
United performed well against Arsenal on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season and they were lively in their attacking threat at Old Trafford.
However, the Red Devils were chasing the 1-0 scoreline for the majority of the Premier League contest after a key early breakthrough for Mikel Arteta’s men.
Riccardo Calafiori broke the deadlock in the 13th minute of the showdown at Old Trafford, with the Italian defender’s first-half opener later proving to be the winner.
READ MORE: Baffled Wayne Rooney asks ‘what has happened’ to Man Utd ace under Ruben Amorim, two players were ‘concern’ vs Arsenal
Manchester United and England icon Wayne Rooney reacts as he comments for Amazon Prime Video prior to kick-off in the Champions League match between Inter Milan and Barcelona at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in 2025 in Milan, Italy.
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty Images
Wayne Rooney couldn’t help but praise Mason Mount for the Man Utd No 7’s dazzling performance vs Arsenal at Old Trafford
Mason Mount played in a false nine role for the start of the Arsenal match, with Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo on either side of him in the attacking threat.
More United News
The 26-year-old Manchester United No 7 shirt-holder linked up superbly well with both Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo in Ruben Amorim’s tactical system.
Mason Mount earned praise for his United performance against Arsenal and the former Chelsea ace made way in the second half for new signing Benjamin Sesko.
Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the 39-year-old former United and England striker waxed lyrical about the impact that Mount can have for his side this season.
When asked about Mount, Wayne Rooney responded on BBC Sport’s show: “Yeah, I think he’s got energy, hasn’t he?
“And he hasn’t been fit since he arrived at Manchester United, really, for a period of time and he’s… I don’t think he’s missed a day’s training in pre-season.
“So, I think he could be a huge player for Man United this season if he can stay fit.
“So, but yeah, no, there’s listen, I think there [were] so many positives throughout the game.”
READ MORE: What Man Utd staff said about Matheus Cunha to Wayne Rooney speaks volumes about signing, ‘everyone has been really…’
Wayne Rooney sends a powerful message to Man Utd fans after the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Arsenal
Rooney admitted that both United players and Ruben Amorim will be disappointed by the outcome at Old Trafford in Sunday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal.
However, the United legend insisted that even Red Devils supporters can take away major “positives” from the performance, irrespective of the scoreline from the tie.
“Um, you know, them players will be disappointed, Amorim will be disappointed they’ve lost the game, but I think for the fans looking at it, there’s positives,” he continued.
“You know, it’s not going to change in, you know, one transfer window, which Amorim has obviously had January, but one window which he has had in the summer, it’s going to take a little bit more time, but certainly it’s looking like it’s on the right track, for sure.”
United will now travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in their next Premier League match in the new season, with kick-off slated for 4:30pm UK time on Sunday.