Wayne Rooney says Manchester United players are acting like babies after Martinez and Fernandes outbursts

Rooney says United dressing room is 'ripping apart'

Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney has said recent outbursts from Lisandro Martinez and Bruno Fernandes typify a "selfish" attitude in a squad that have acted "like babies" as the club endure their worst start to a league season in decades.

Rooney believes United’s players must look in the mirror and accept responsibility for their poor start ahead of Sunday’s clash with Bournemouth. Michael Carrick’s position as United boss looks to be hanging by a thread, with the team on seven points from seven Premier League matches.

The tally is United’s worst start to a league season since 1989-90, also seven points from seven games, and just the second time in the last 54 years they have only had one win by this stage, along with 1986-87. Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat at Como left United averaging a point per game in the Champions League.

Martinez and Fernandes criticism under fire

In a post-match interview after the Como defeat, captain Fernandes appeared to blame Carrick’s tactics as he took aim at the team’s failure to press high. The outburst followed Martinez saying everyone at United "expected more" from the club in the transfer market.

Speaking on The United Stand podcast, Rooney said the criticism will damage the dressing room.

"When Martinez came out, I said this is an absolute nightmare because it will rip the dressing room apart. That was the start. We've seen it now with Bruno and you're going to see it with more players. The reason why is that those players don't want to take responsibility."

Rooney added:

"You can say whether Bruno was right or wrong in what he said, but you have to take responsibility on the pitch. You have to take responsibility as a group of players and there were times when me and Sir Alex Ferguson wouldn't talk, but I'd run through a brick wall for him on the pitch."

"These players, they're selfish. They care about themselves, they don't care about their team-mates, don't care about the manager, about the staff or the fans, they care about themselves. If they're not getting what's right for them. They're like babies and just throw their toys out of the pram and go and deflect the blame on to anyone else but themselves. They have to look at themselves."

Rooney singled out Fernandes’ form, saying the captain is having "probably the worst run of form he's had since he's been at the club" and that "it's no coincidence he's putting pressure on someone else because he doesn't want to face it."

"If he looks at himself in the mirror, if Martinez looks at himself in the mirror, all the players... they'll find what is looking back at them is them and it's not good enough."

Bournemouth travel to Old Trafford unbeaten in their last three Premier League visits to the ground, scoring at least three goals in every match, making them the only team to ever achieve that in three successive league visits to United.