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Wayne Rooney calls out Man Utd star who 'can do better' after Man City loss
Sep 14 2026 10:48 · By Callum McAvoy · 5 Reads
Wayne Rooney was not impressed with Man Utd’s attack (Photo: BBC)
Wayne Rooney was left deeply unimpressed with Manchester United’s attackers after the defeat to Manchester City, singling out one player whocould have saved the game.
A controversial Erling Haaland goal saw City win the Manchester derby 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, despite Phil Foden’s early red card.
While much has been made of the contentious VAR decisions, it was another woeful and toothless performance from United, who have now won just one of their opening four Premier League games.
The Red Devils managed just three shots on target against Gianluigi Donnarumma, with their best opportunity coming in the 94th minute when Bryan Mbeumo found himself in the box with space and quickly took his shot but was denied.
It was an important save by the Italy goalkeeper, but Rooney believes Mbeumo ought to have equalised, criticising the Cameroon forward’s lack of composure
‘This was the one bit of quality Manchester United had in the second-half,’ the United and England legend said on Match of the Day.
‘It comes from Bruno Fernandes, no surprise, really good pass into Mbeumo and it’s a good save but I think Mbeumo can do better here.
Bryan Mbeumo missed a great chance to equalise in the final seconds of the derby (Photo: Getty)
‘If he just slots it in the near post, he’s got a much better chance of scoring but it’s a wonderful save from Donnarumma.
‘This is where you hear people talking about the composure and the forwards having composure in the penalty box, that’s what they need. Mbeumo’s waited all game for that opportunity.
‘So, whether you play for Manchester United, whether you’re left-footed or right-footed, once you get that opportunity, you need to be aware of the goalkeeper, what his strengths are.
Man utd have won just one of their opening four Premier League games (Photo: Getty)
‘Donnarumma is a big lad, he’s got big arms. If you play it at height, he’s got a good chance of saving it. If you play it low, near the corner, you’ve made it very difficult [for the keeper].’