Ex-Man United striker, Wayne Rooney believes Manchester United supporters were given a rare reminder of the club’s glory days after witnessing a change in atmosphere that he likened to the Sir Alex Ferguson era.
As reported by BBC Sport on Monday, Rooney said the home crowd “felt something” that has been missing for more than a decade, suggesting the energy inside Old Trafford during the Manchester Derby echoed the intensity and belief that defined United under Ferguson.
Rooney, who won five Premier League titles alongside Carrick at United, thinks there was a big difference in the home crowd under the leadership of his former team-mate.
“I wasn’t at the stadium, I was in the BBC studios, but did you see the difference in the stadium? Even when he [Michael Carrick] walked out before the game and he’s trying to pump the crowd up,” Rooney said on the latest edition of BBC podcast The Wayne Rooney Show.
“I think the fans felt something yesterday. They got a taste of what it was like under Sir Alex Ferguson. Some of the young fans who have been through a terrible time over the last 10, 13 years, really, since Fergie left.
“They haven’t witnessed a team perform that well. I’ve been part of some of those teams as well. I’ve played in some of them.
“They haven’t witnessed a team perform that well, with that energy and that belief in their fighting and being brave with the ball, but also being resilient and tough to play against.”
Rooney said it was the “best performance” he had seen from United in a long time.
“I think what Michael has done with the team wasn’t rocket science. It was a simple tweak in terms of what he’d done in terms of formation,” the former England striker said.
“I think everyone’s been talking a lot about Ruben Amorim’s formation in the back three and how it suited Man United as well.
“So he changed that, but if you go back to the last podcast we’d done when I spoke about what United need to do, it’s simple really, it’s run and work hard. It was so refreshing to see the players do that.
“I thought Amad and Dorgu on the wings were excellent, the work-rate they put in to help the full-backs out and they got into a compact shape, which I spoke about, and hit Man City on the break.”
Amorim was dismissed on January 5 and Rooney said United’s win over City was “night and day from what we’ve been seeing” under the Portuguese.
Rooney added: “You can feel it from the fans as well, the difference in energy from the team, the confidence, the belief, the composure on the ball at the right times.
“It was night and day from what we’ve been seeing, so it was such a good day. It reminded me, when we talked about Man United’s DNA, that was it…
“Work hard, run for your team-mate, get back into shape, be hard to play against – [and then] when you get an opportunity to run forward.”
